CINCINNATI — Ohio's first Wawa store is officially underway after a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by fans aplenty Thursday morning on Fields Ertel Road.
The family-owned chain of convenience stores and gas stations has announced plans to open more than a dozen stores in the Tri-State total, though the Fields Ertel location is the first to break ground in Ohio.
The event brought in a crowd, with plenty turning out to sample food offerings and hear about what Wawa hopes to bring to the region. It also came with a "Taste of Wawa" event, where attendees were able to sample some of the food items that makes the convenience store chain popular.
During the event, Wawa officials also announced it would donate $10,000 to the Freestore Foodbank.
The Fields Ertel location is expected to open its doors in April 2025. In the meantime, construction on several more Wawa locations in the Greater Cincinnati region is scheduled next:
- 7981 Cincinnati Dayton Road in West Chester Township
- 4577 Dixie Highway in Fairfield
- 5248 Courseview Drive in Mason
- 370 Glen Springs Drive in Cincinnati
In addition, the business plans to open 11 more stores in Ohio in 2025.
The Fields Ertel location hopes to bring 35 to 40 new jobs to the region and the location is currently hiring.
According to its website, Wawa is a "privately held, family-owned company with 200+ years in American business." The company began in New Jersey in 1803 with its first market opening in 1964. Now, Wawa has a huge following on the east coast with multiple locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
While Wawa stores include gas stations, they are much more. It's similar to how Buc-ee's is much more than a gas station, but Wawa specializes more in food while Buc-ee's, which has massive stores compared to Wawa, also sells merchandise, decor and more.
News of Wawa making its way to the Tri-State first broke in December 2022 when the chain announced its plans to launch its first stores in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
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