Wawa is opening its first Ohio store on April 16, launching the convenience retailer’s expansion into the Midwest.
Located in Butler County at 7198 Cincinnati Dayton Road, Liberty Township, Ohio, this location is the first of eight to 10 Wawa stores slated to open in Ohio by year’s end and will offer the community fresh food, beverages, convenience, fuel and more.
Over the next five to eight years, Wawa plans to build and open six to 10 stores per year in Ohio, with expectations to open up to 60 stores in the state. To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create 2,100 new, long-term new jobs.
Not only does this date mark the retailer’s entrance into its tenth state, but it coincides with the founding date of the first Wawa store that opened on April 16, 1964, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Known as Wawa Day by associates and customers, the retailer will celebrate in Liberty Township, Ohio, as well as across its 1,100 locations with festivities.
“We are excited to fly into Ohio and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this state for the very first time,” said Brian Schaller, President of Wawa. “This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing growth and expansion in Ohio as we continue to build new stores and create new jobs. We are also thrilled about extending our commitment to being a good neighbor with the announcement of several community partnerships made on opening day!”
In June, Wawa said that in addition to the Liberty Township location, it began construction on the following Ohio stores in 2024, with projected openings in the second quarter 2025:
- 5308 Fields Ertel Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 4577 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, Ohio
- 5248 Courseview Drive, Mason, Ohio
- 370 Glensprings Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio
Wawa also said in June that it had more than 20 sites under contract across Ohio counties. Those sites were going through the local land development and permitting processes and include locations in the counties of Allen, Butler, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Miami, Montgomery and Warren.
- Wawa is No. 10 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by total number of company-owned stores.
Wawa operates nearly 1,080 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Washington, D.C.
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