Wawa has opened its first Georgia store, located at 1401 Tallahassee Highway, in Bainbridge. By the end of 2024, Wawa will have three stores open and serving Georgia in Bainbridge, Brunswick and Jesup.
In 2025, Wawa, Pennsylvania-based Wawa said it plans to open five to six additional stores—in Hinesville, Pooler, Waycross, Valdosta and Albany, Georgia.
Over the next five to eight years, Wawa plans to build and open more than 26 stores in Georgia, at the pace of around three to four stores per year. To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $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 almost 900 long-term new jobs.
“It’s official—Wawa is opening our doors to serve our newest friends and neighbors in Georgia,” said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa. “We are thrilled to open three stores this year to bring our investment in Georgia to life. These events will also give us the opportunity to share a little bit about our history and culture that is what makes Wawa such an ideal fit for communities here. Over the next few years, we will be continuing to expand and invest in the region as we build new stores and connect with new customers in more Georgia communities.”
The 2024 store grand openings will each feature special events officially introducing Wawa to the community, details on Wawa’s expansion plans and a welcome to all new customers, local officials and charity partners. During the events, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation will also announce new commitments and support to community organizations.
At the three openings this year, contributions will be made to Second Harvest of Georgia and Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia to support local initiatives as well as provide relief from recent effect of Hurricane Helene. Grants from the Wawa Foundation will total $30,000 in support to the food banks.
Wawa is No. 10 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by total number of company-owned stores.
Additionally, Wawa expects to open five c-stores in Florida. It also announced 10 new c-stores in North Carolina this year, about 40 new c-stores in North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana in 2025 and as many as 250 c-stores within the next five to 10 years in the states.
Wawa has approximately 1,050 locations open in eight states, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Alabama, as well as Washington, D.C.
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