Wawa Breaks Ground On 1st Georgia Store As Southern Reach Expands

WAWA, PA — Wawa is headed south. Well, the popular Philadelphia-region convenience chain has already gone south. But now the beloved store is breaking into Georgia.

Earlier this month, Wawa celebrated the official start of construction on its first two Georgia stores.

The celebration took place March 7 in Brunswick, Georgia. Another store is planned for Jesup, Georgia.

Both are aiming for 2024 openings.

The events officially introduced Wawa to the community, shared expansion plans and welcomed VIP customers, local officials and charity partners.

Wawa also announced contributions to its first community partners, the Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia and the USO Georgia, with first grant awards totaling more than $10,000 to support local initiatives.

"It’s official – Wawa is coming to Georgia, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share details of our exciting growth plans with our newest soon-to-be neighbors!” Robert Yeatts, Senior Director of Store Operations for Wawa, said. "Our two groundbreaking events gave us the opportunity to meet new faces and share with our new markets a little bit about our history and what makes Wawa such an ideal fit for communities here. We are thrilled to break ground on our first stores and get closer to our first grand openings in 2024."

Over the next 5to 8 years, Wawa plans to build and open 26 stores in southern and Coastal Georgia, with a goal of opening three to four stores a year.

To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $7.0 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 1,000 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Georgia.