With the help of some of the nation’s most popular big-rig truckers and a ceremonial “honk” from mascot Wally Goose, convenience-store retailer Wawa will open its first travel center. The new location, in Hope Mills, North Carolina, will open on Aug. 28.
The travel center will have 20 fuel spots for passenger vehicles and a diesel fuel court for professional tractor trailer drivers. Fuel features include six high-speed diesel fuel lanes accepting over-the-road (OTR) payments. Other amenities include a CAT weigh station and free parking for tractor-trailers.
With more than 8,000 square feet of space, the store will offer Wawa’s signature fresh food and beverages. It will have interior and exterior seating areas and a large open design for the fresh food and beverage area. The location also offers a pet relief area.
- Click here for a sneak peek from Fayetteville Today.
“We are thrilled to pilot this new format in Hope Mills and believe this new travel center model is a great way to bring Wawa to customers while serving a need to the travelers,” said John Poplawski, Wawa Chief Real Estate Officer. “Not only will our Wawa Travel Center meet the fueling needs of professional drivers, but our store will offer the freshest of food, beverages, conveniences and the friendliest flock of associates, while also remaining a community hub for local friends and neighbors to enjoy.”
Tar heel expansion plans
Wawa also broke ground on a c-store in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Aug. 13.
Over the next 8 to 10 years, Wawa plans to build and open 6 to 8 stores per year in North Carolina, reaching a total of 90 stores in the Tar Heel State, it said. To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million per store and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with the company expecting to create more than 3,000 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in the state.
In July, Wawa opened its first c-store in Kentucky. The store, in Jefferson County, is the first of five to eight locations the retailer expects to open in the Bluegrass State by the end of the year. It has also broken ground on a second Kentucky location in Nicholasville.
Wawa also has begun construction on its first Tennessee convenience stores, in Murfreesboro and Clarksville. It projects that both Volunteer State locations will open in the second half of 2026.
The company opened its first Indiana store in May, in Daleville, while stores in Noblesville, and Clarkesville opened later in the month.
- Wawa is No. 10 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
Wawa, a privately held company, operates more than 965 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.
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