Thursday, August 28, 2025
630 Chicken Foot Rd. Hope Mills, NC 28348
Doors Open: 8:00 a.m.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: 9:00 a.m.

Wawa’s grand opening festivities will include free t-shirts for the first 250 customers, free any size hot coffee from August 28th through August 31st, a ceremonial “Honk” by mascot Wally Goose with some of the nation’s most popular big rig truckers and a ribbon cutting. The event will also highlight community partnerships and support for local organizations and celebrate local everyday heroes with Wawa’s signature “Hoagies for Heroes” initiative.

“We are thrilled to pilot this new format in Hope Mills and believe this new travel center model is a great way to bring Wawa to customers while serving a need to the travelers,” said John Poplawski, Wawa Chief Real Estate Officer. “Not only will our Wawa Travel Center meet the fueling needs of professional drivers, but our store will offer the freshest of food, beverages, conveniences and the friendliest flock of associates, while also remaining a community hub for local friends and neighbors to enjoy.”

As Wawa gears up for its big day, the convenience retailer is seeking stories from professional drivers, travelers, friends and neighbors about their favorite Wawa memories to attend a “Taste of Wawa” preview event the day before the store opens on August 27. To sign up and share a story, visit: Wawa.com/iframe/form/hope-mills-nc-taste-of-wawa-event
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Wawa Expansion in North Carolina
Over the next 8-10 years, Wawa plans to build and open 6-8 stores per year reaching a total of 90 stores in North Carolina. To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million per store and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners to build the store. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates with Wawa expecting to create more than 3,000 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in North Carolina.

About Career Opportunities: Soar with Wawa!
Wawa’s expansion plans will create thousands of new jobs and career opportunities for those interested in soaring with us as we expand to North Carolina. Joining the Wawa team makes you part of a longstanding tradition of success that spans decades, hundreds of stores, multiple states and counting! Wawa associates own 39% of the company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). View career opportunities at Wawa and examples of fulfilling careers.

About Wawa
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa (LinkedIn) is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C. with 1,100 locations to date. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, Sizzli hot breakfast sandwiches, hand-crafted specialty beverages, a dinner menu including burgers and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. Forbes.com ranks Wawa as #22 of America’s Largest Private Companies.

Media Contact:
Lori Bruce
Public Relations Manager
Wawa, Inc.
610-405-7782