Wawa Plans Massive Entrance Into Kentucky

Convenience retailer Wawa has announced a massive expansion into Kentucky, planning to open approximately 40 stores across the state over the next eight to 10 years.

Slated to begin in mid-2024, Wawa, known for its prepared food and private label offerings, has more than 15 sites under contract across Boone, Bullitt, Fayette, Hardin, Jefferson, Jessamine, Oldham, Scott, Shelby and Warren Counties. The first store locations are projected to open by mid-2025, with plans to open up to 10 locations that year, five additional stores in 2026 and 5 stores each year thereafter.

The plan was announced during its two-stop Community Partnership Day Tour in the state. These events officially introduced Wawa to the community and allowed Wawa leaders to connect with hundreds of new people, including local officials, partners and future customers.

“We were thrilled to share our ‘flight plan’ for Kentucky and reveal, for the very first time, our exciting expansion plans, renderings and more with our newest soon-to-be neighbors!” said Joe Collins, director of Store Operations for Wawa. “Our Community Partnership Day events also gave us the opportunity to meet new faces and talk a little bit about our history and what makes Wawa such an ideal fit for communities in this region. We can’t wait to begin putting shovels into the ground next year! As we get closer to our grand openings in 2025, we will be sharing even more details on our growth in Kentucky and connecting with more customers, communities, partners and nonprofit organizations that together make this such an incredible region to be a part of!”

To build each store, Wawa will invest approximately $7 million and employ an average of 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ 35 associates on average with Wawa expecting to create more than 1,400 new jobs as a result of its expansion into Kentucky.

“We are excited to welcome Wawa to Louisville, and we look forward to working with them as they open multiple locations across our city,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “This family- and associate-owned convenience store chain has a passionate customer base built around its signature hoagies, freshly brewed coffee and hand-crafted smoothies, so we encourage everyone to come see what Wawa is all about!”

Wawa currency operates nearly 1,000 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.