Wawa held the grand opening of its first convenience store in Alabama. Located in Baldwin County, at 18968 Greeno Road in Fairhope, this location is the first of three Wawa stores slated to open in the southern Alabama market before the end of summer.
This summer, Wawa will open stores located at 7095 Cottage Hill Road in Mobile, Alabama, and 21022 Highway 59 in Robertsdale, Alabama. Construction also recently began at a fourth store located at 664 Schillinger Road in Mobile. Overall, Wawa plans to open seven to 10 stores in the Baldwin County and Mobile markets over the next three to four years. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates.
- Wawa, based in Wawa, Pennsylvania, is No. 10 on CSP’s 2024 Top 40 Update to the 2023 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2024 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
During the event on Thursday, Wawa was joined by local officials, heroes and community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, parade of Wawa history, local cheerleaders and musicians and a Hoagies for Heroes charitable hoagie building competition between local fire and police teams.
The grand opening celebration also kicks off Wawa’s Lending a Helping Hoagie program to benefit Prodisee Pantry, a non-profit organization providing emergency food and disaster relief to Baldwin County families facing hardship stemming from job loss, medical expenses, natural disasters and other crises. Wawa has committed to donating up to $5,000 of hoagie sales from the first Baldwin County store to Prodisee Pantry to help fight hunger in the local community. In addition, The Wawa Foundation also announced a grant to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital to support child life programs.
“We are excited to fly into Alabama and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this market for the very first time,” said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa. “This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing investment in Alabama as we continue our plans to build new stores and create new jobs. We are also thrilled about extending our commitment to being a good neighbor to Baldwin County, and our partnerships with Prodisee Pantry and USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital are examples of how we will support local causes.”
At the event, the first 250 customers received special milestone Wawa t-shirts. Wawa associates; Wawa’s mascots Wally Goose and Shorti; and community partners came to celebrate the new store.
The event included the Fairhope High School musical ensemble, followed by the introduction of the store team and the first official Wawa Parade through the Ages, which visually highlighted key milestones in Wawa history.
Schaller spoke about the significance of the company’s first Alabama store and expected local and state impact through continuing Wawa expansion in the Baldwin County and Mobile markets. Local officials spoke about Wawa’s expansion and community initiatives. The ceremony ended with a ribbon cutting, officially marking the Company’s entrance into the state.
The event also included Alabama’s first Hoagies for Heroes charitable hoagie building contest, where members of the Fairhope Fire and Police Departments were challenged to see who could build the most hoagies in three minutes in the traditional Wawa way. Wawa concluded the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by presenting checks on behalf of the winning and runner up teams, for $1,000 to the charities of their choice.
Andy Stephens will serve as general manager of the store, leading a team of 35 associates. Associates in these full- and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries and health benefits, but they will participate in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Today, Wawa Associates own more than 39% of the company through the ESOP. Associates also have access to the ingredients that build a career, including training, development, educational assistance and a flexible environment, according to the company.
Wawa has more than 1,000 stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The company previously announced that it will open 80 c-stores in North Carolina, the first eight in 2024, and up to 20 in Georgia, with the first under construction in late 2023. Wawa also has revealed plans for 160 stores across the Midwest in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. And it said it plans to grow its store count in existing markets.
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