LOUISVILLE, Ky., USA – Wawa, a privately held, family and associate-owned chain of more than 1,050 convenience retail stores currently operating in eight states and Washington, D.C., officially broke ground on its first two stores in Kentucky located at 9650 Preston Crossing Boulevard, Louisville, Kentucky and 3012 Lexington Road, Nicholasville, Kentucky.
The event welcomed VIP customers, state and local officials and charity partners to mark the start of construction on Wawa’s first Kentucky stores. The stores are projected to open late second quarter of 2025.
“We are excited to begin construction on our stores in Kentucky as we get closer to bringing the unique Wawa experience to new customers in more markets,” said Joe Collins, Director of Store Operations for Wawa. “We look forward to continuing to spread our wings in Kentucky and can’t wait to get started serving our new friends and neighbors.”
About Wawa ’s Growth & Expansion in Kentucky
Wawa will begin construction on the following stores in 2024, with projected openings in the third quarter 2025:
- 9650 Preston Crossing Boulevard, Louisville, KY
- 3012 Lexington Road, Nicholasville, KY
- 4314 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY
- 900 East Main Street, Georgetown, KY
- 1354 Veterans Parkway, Clarksville, IN (Louisville market)
In 2025, Wawa plans to open nine (9) stores in Kentucky. Over the next 5-8 years, Wawa plans to build and open 5 to 8 stores per year in the Louisville and Lexington area, with plans to open up to 40 stores in the state. Wawa currently has more than 20 sites under contract across several Kentucky counties.
Those sites are going through the local land development and permitting processes and include locations in the counties of Boone, Bullitt, Campbell, Fayette, Hardin, Jefferson, Jessamine, Oldham, Scott, Shelby, Simpson and Warren.
To build each store, Wawa will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create almost 1,500 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Kentucky.
Community Grants Awarded
As part of the groundbreaking, Wawa and The Wawa Foundation announced contributions to two community partners in Kentucky. Dare to Care and God’s Pantry Food Banks each received a grant of $10,000 from The Wawa Foundation Fly Beyond Fund, a signature initiative to fight food insecurity and support programs providing good, nutritious food to build healthy habits and help kids thrive.
The funds were part of a $1.5 million Key Issue Grant awarded to food bank partners in Wawa’s operating area. “The Wawa Foundation is thrilled to provide grants to our food bank partners toward programs providing consistent access to nutritious and healthy meals for kids,” said Elizabeth Simeone, President of The Wawa Foundation. “We are very excited to begin to share our Fly Beyond mission with our newest Food Bank partners in the Midwest as we begin our expansion to these new markets.”
