Wawa Plans Major Expansion In Central Pennsylvania
Wawa’s expansion plans have taken the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain to points west and south, with the retailer recently breaking ground on its first stores in Tennessee.
But growth in its home state is also in the works, with new stores planned in communities around Penn State University that will further increase the competition between Wawa and Sheetz.
StateCollege.com reported Wawa is looking to open upward of 10 new stores in Centre County and the surrounding area by 2031, with as many as 50 new locations for the region by 2035. There are currently six sites under contract in the central Pennsylvania region:
- Earlystown Road and Old Fort Road in Centre Hall (Centre County)
- Route 26 & Squirrel Drive in State College (Centre County)
- Route 150 & Eagle Point in Bellefonte (Centre County)
- North Atherton Street & West Aaron Drive in State College (Centre County)
- Route 322 & Ferguson Valley Road in Yeagertown (Mifflin County)
- Route 150 & Water Street in Mill Hall (Clinton County)
It's unknown when these six new stores will open.
“That is a tough question to answer,” said John Poplawski, chief real estate officer with Wawa. “All of my developer partners and real estate folks here are working as hard as they can to get them open, as fast as they can. We’re partnering with all the local officials, but things don’t happen overnight. If you’ve ever tried to get a permit to put a deck on your house, it takes time.”
He noted residents in the area have long sought a Wawa in the State College region, and those requests will soon be met.
“It’s finally close, and when we come, we want to make sure that we’re here with a strong sense of community, strong roots, not just build a store, but build a number of stores and become a part of the communities we serve,” he said.
Wawa has been in store expansion mode in recent years and, in August, opened its first travel center in North Carolina. The 8,000-square-foot store in Hope Mills, just south of Fayetteville, offers fresh food, beverages, interior and exterior seating, and fuel. Other amenities include a CAT weigh station, free parking for tractor-trailers, restrooms, and a pet relief area.
The convenience store chain also recently broke ground on its first stores in Tennessee, and this past spring opened its first stores in Indiana and Ohio. In late 2024, it opened its first store in Georgia.
