Wawa plans massive expansion in western Virginia

Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa plans to massively expand in the western side of Virginia, potentially investing $450 million and opening 60 stores along Interstate 81 within the next decade.

This week, Wawa held groundbreaking events to celebrate the official start of construction on a store in Lynchburg at 14039 Wards Road and a store located at 1135 Richmond Ave. in Staunton. Both stores are projected to open this fall.

Also this week, the company held a community event at the Salem Civic Center in Salem to share background on history and growth projections for the market. Salem Economic Development Director Tommy Miller said that Wawa plans to open a location in Salem and a location in Roanoke sometime in 2026.

“We’re proud to have a brand and a company with a great history and service and reputation, so we’re [with] open arms welcoming them here to Salem,” Miller said.

According to Wawa, this week’s events introduced the chain to the community and were attended by VIP customers, local officials and charity partners. Wawa served fresh food and beverage favorites including freshly brewed coffee, pretzels, teas and lemonades.

“Wawa has been part of the Virginia community for more than 25 years and is proud to be expanding further west to the I-81 region,” Kim Dowgielewicz, Wawa’s director for store operations, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue growing in new markets to provide the community with our one-of-a-kind offer and commitment to supporting the community.”

Wawa plans to open six to eight new Wawa stores in 2025 and up to 60 over the next 10 years. The company says it’s working to find and finalize details for sites under contract and that once sites are fully permitted and ready to go under construction, it will share details and timelines for construction and openings.

Wawa plans to invest approximately $7.5 million to build each store and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Each store will employ an average of 35 people — which means that thousands of jobs will be created statewide.

The company may also expand in Northern Virginia. According to the website for McLean-based commercial real estate firm Rappaport, Wawa is eyeing 1.5- to 3-acre pad sites and is wanting either purchases or ground leases and prefers lighted intersections. Desired locations include Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison and Rappahannock counties as well as the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax.

A Rappaport director of brokerage declined to comment, and a Wawa spokesperson said she didn’t have any details to provide regarding a potential Northern Virginia expansion.

Headquartered in Wawa, Pennsylvania, Wawa has more than 1,100 convenience retail stores currently operating in nine states and Washington, D.C. It carries more than 6,000 items, including groceries, tobacco and candy, and employs 47,000 people, according to the company’s website. According to a news release, Wawa has been in Virginia since 1998, with more than 100 locations.