ORLANDO, Fla. --Wawa Inc. has announced the official launch schedule for its expansion into the Sunshine State. Wawa's first wave of Florida stores will open in the Orlando area, with an "aggressive" schedule of five stores to open in five weeks.
Wawa will open six stores in Orlando in 2012, and begin to open its first stores in Tampa in 2013. Throughout the Orlando / Tampa markets, Wawa plans to open 20 stores in 2013, 25 stores in 2014 and 25 stores in 2015, and projects they will open 100 stores in the Orlando/Tampa markets in the next five years.
Wawa's first store to open in the state of Florida will be located directly across from Sea World, and will open on July 18, 2012.
Wawa will move into the Central Florida market over the next five weeks with the following grand opening schedule: Orlando, July 18; Orlando, July 25; Kissimmee, August 1; Trail Kissimmee, August 8; and Orlando, August 15.
During each grand opening event, Wawa will invite local officials, heroes and community members to celebrate in the festivities, sample Wawa products and learn about Wawa's expected economic and community impact.
"We can't wait to open our doors to our new Florida family, and are excitedly to quickly enter the Greater Orlando area and begin offering our new customers our unique brand of appetizing convenience," said Howard Stoeckel, Wawa CEO. "As each location opens, we will further solidify our commitment to filling a void in our new Florida customer's lives, providing them with a level of convenience and appetite appeal our customers have come to rely on us for."
Central FloridaExpansion Plans
The new stores will each employ nearly 35 associates, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the stores.
Click here for a photo and video gallery of Wawa's move into Florida.
Wawa, Pa.-based Wawa is an "all day, everyday stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs," it said. A chain of more than 595 convenience retail stores (300 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and by summer of 2012, Central Florida.
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