FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --Wawa Inc. has just announced its strategy for expansion into Broward and Palm Beach counties in southern Florida, expecting to open as many as 40 convenience stores by the end of 2019. (Click here to view the full report.)
Southern Florida is already home to several many other major convenience store chains, including 7-Eleven, RaceTrac and Circle K, said a report by The Sun-Sentinel.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. has found the Sunshine State "to be receptive to our convenience brand," company spokesperson Margaret Chabris told the newspaper. In the past four years, 7-Eleven has opened 231 stores in Florida, 121 of them in southern Florida.
"Our growth rate is much faster than that of Wawa's, and this year we will open nearly as many stores as Wawa plans in the next two years," said Chabris.
Atlanta-based RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. has 16 stores in southern Florida and plans to add five more stores per year in the area through 2019. Statewide, it has more than 160 stores.
"We welcome new competitors to the markets we call home, as it will only make us stronger," RaceTrac spokesperson Ashleigh Womack told the paper.
Wawa is a privately held company with more than 680 convenience stores, more than 415 offering gasoline. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The convenience stores offer a large foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.
Click here to view the full Sun-Sentinel report.
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