Dive Brief:
- Wawa is set to open 15 new stores in Florida this year, more than double the number of sites planned for any other U.S. state in 2023, according to the company’s future locations webpage.
- Jacksonville leads the way with three Florida Wawa locations expected to open this year, followed by Boynton Beach at two. Other cities expecting a new Wawa in 2023 include Miami, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Melbourne, Hollywood, Oakland Park, Homestead, Hialeah, Lantana and Loxahatchee.
- Across the U.S., Wawa is set to open 34 stores across six states this year.
Dive Insight:
Besides its Florida plans, Wawa’s 2023 store openings will include five locations in both New Jersey and Virginia, four in Pennsylvania, three in Maryland, and two in Delaware. Two of the 34 stores are expected to open in winter, while 26 are planned for the spring and six for the summer.
With about 250 locations scattered throughout Florida, Wawa already has a decent footprint along the states eastern coast, and the 15 new stores will boost its presence near the Atlantic ocean. These stores will span the 400 mile stretch between Jacksonville and Homestead, which will be the retailer’s northernmost and southernmost cities of operation in Florida, respectively.
Wawa also operates many stores in Western and Central Florida, including Fort Myers, Tampa and Orlando. However, Wawa doesn’t have an established presence in the Florida Panhandle region, which covers areas like Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City. That’s set to change in 2024.
Last April, Wawa announced it is looking to grow in these areas as part of a 40-store development plan that also includes South Alabama. When combining its Florida Panhandle and Alabama expansion plans, Wawa has said it will invest about $6.5 million into each of the 40 planned stores, adding up to about $260 million invested into the regions.
Wawa operates more than 990 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C., according to NACS’ 2023 Top 100 c-store rankings. The retailer currently has plans to increase its footprint from seven to 14 states and surpass 1,800 locations by 2030.
Wawa did not respond by press time to an inquiry for more details on its plans to build more stores in Florida.
