Wawa

Wawa is a privately held convenience and fuel retailer based in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The company operates company-owned stores that pair a full convenience offer with a strong food and beverage program and, in most locations, gasoline. Customers know Wawa for its made to order hoagies, hot breakfast, coffee, beverages, and everyday essentials that serve both commuters and surrounding neighborhoods.

The business began as Wawa Dairy Farms, founded by George Wood in 1902 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, as a dairy and home delivery operation. In 1964, the company opened its first Wawa Food Market convenience store in Folsom, Pennsylvania, shifting from delivering milk to running neighborhood retail stores. That move from dairy routes to convenience retail marked a turning point and set the stage for the modern Wawa format. As the chain grew through the 1970s and beyond, it added fresh deli, coffee, and hot foods, which remain at the center of its offer today.

As of May 2025, Wawa operates approximately 1,250 stores across 13 states and Washington, D.C., with more than 1,100 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and the District. Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are among its largest markets by store count. These stores typically sit on highly visible, auto-oriented sites and are designed to handle high daily volumes with extended hours and fuel on site in most locations.

Over the last five years, Wawa has shifted from being largely a Mid Atlantic operator to a broader East Coast and emerging Midwest brand. The company has continued to infill core markets while also pushing further south and west, entering new trade areas in the Southeast and planning its first locations in parts of the Midwest. It has also invested in larger, more modern formats that expand foodservice capacity and improve traffic flow, replacing or upgrading many older units to what customers often think of as the “Super Wawa” style store.

Ownership remains in the hands of the founding Wood family and an employee stock ownership plan, and Wawa does not franchise its stores. The brand has outlined a long term, ground up growth plan focused on the Mid Atlantic’s I 81 corridor and new states including Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia. In Virginia and surrounding states along I 81, Wawa has announced about 60 planned stores over a ten year period. Similar multi year programs are underway to build out new markets in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia, alongside continued infill in Florida and established Mid Atlantic regions.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, Wawa represents a scaled, well capitalized operator with an active pipeline of new stores. Most expansion occurs through new build, company owned locations on prominent corners, major commuter routes, and in fast growing suburban and exurban corridors. The chain’s combination of fuel, prepared food, and strong daily traffic makes it a prominent anchor for small shopping centers, outparcels, and freestanding sites. As Wawa continues to expand its footprint across the Mid Atlantic, Southeast, and into the Midwest, it remains a consistent source of demand for well located land and high visibility corners along key travel corridors.