Wawa Opens First of Three Alabama Stores Planned for 2024
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Wawa Inc. officially opened the convenience retailer's first store in the state of Alabama, the first of three sites slated to open in the south Alabama market before the end of the summer.
The grand opening in Baldwin County, located at 18968 Greeno Road in Fairhope, included local officials, heroes and community members joining Wawa team members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The commemoration featured:
A parade of Wawa history;
Local cheerleaders and musicians;
a "Hoagies for Heroes" charitable hoagie building competition between local fire and police teams; and
Special milestone Wawa t-shirts for the first 250 customers.
The celebration also kicked off Wawa's "Lending a Helping Hoagie" program to benefit Prodisee Pantry, a nonprofit organization which provides emergency food and disaster relief to Baldwin County families facing hardship stemming from job loss, medical expenses, natural disasters and other crises. Wawa committed to donating a portion of hoagie sales from the store (up to $5,000) to the organization.
Lastly, the Wawa Foundation announced a grant to USA Children's and Women's Hospital to support child life programs.
"We are excited to fly into Alabama and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this market for the very first time. This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing investment in Alabama as we continue our plans to build new stores and create new jobs," said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa.
Andy Stephens will serve as general manager of the Baldwin County store, leading a team of 35 associates in newly created positions. Both full- and part-time staff will receive competitive salaries and health benefits, along with the option to participate in Wawa's employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Wawa associates currently own more than 39% of the company through the ESOP program.
This summer, Wawa plans to open additional Alabama stores at 7095 Cottage Hill Road in Mobile and 21022 Highway 59 in Robertsdale. Construction also recently began at a fourth store located at 664 Schillinger Road. Overall, Wawa plans to open seven to 10 stores in the Baldwin County and Mobile markets over the next three to four years.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa operates approximately 1,000 c-stores throughout the Northeast and Florida. The retailer currently has plans to open more than 70 new convenience stores this year.