Wawa places a toe in Buc-ee’s turf with new ‘travel center’ within the South

Up till now, Buc-ee’s has operated gigantic interstate stops catering to heavy long-distance site visitors and Wawa has caught to small comfort shops principally serving native communities. That’s about to vary, as Wawa debuts a brand new super-sized format within the South.

To be clear, Wawa’s first transfer into the journey heart recreation isn’t as monstrous as the standard Buc-ee’s. The Buc-ee’s location in Leeds, at 50,000-plus sq. toes and 120 gasoline pumps, is typical of the Texas chain’s shops in Alabama. According to Wawa, its first journey heart will characteristic over 8,000 sq. toes of area and 20 fueling stations for passenger automobiles.

While that’s clearly smaller than a Buc-ee’s, it’s fairly a bit larger than the standard Wawa. Just as considerably, it options six “high-speed diesel fuel lanes, accepting over the road (OTR) payments” and is positioned on an Interstate trade. It’s on I-95 in Hope Mills, N.C., simply south of Fayetteville; the precise deal with is 630 Chicken Foot Road.

North Carolina-based WGHP-TV8 quoted Wawa Chief Real Estate Officer John Poplawski as saying the shop is designed to serve a mixture of native clients and vacationers.

“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.” Poplawski mentioned.

Wawa recently announced an opening date of Aug. 28 for the brand new journey heart.

Wawa has made headlines in Alabama over the previous yr and a half by opening its first half-dozen shops within the state in Mobile and Baldwin counties. That’s a part of an aggressive growth throughout the Florida Panhandle and central Gulf Coast.

Wawa, which was based in Pennsylvania and principally grew alongside the East Coast till just lately, is also increasing into the central portion of the South and parts of the Midwest. In July it opened its first Kentucky store, and extra just lately it broke floor on its first stores in middle Tennessee. 2025 additionally has seen the openings of a number of Wawas in Ohio and Indiana.