Marketing

Wawa first-ever travel center finds a home in North Carolina

Photo: Wawa

September 12, 2025

Wawa's first-ever travel center has opened for business in Hope Mills, North Carolina.

The store, at 630 Chicken Food Road, is described as a location for smaller passenger vehicles and tractor-trailer vehicles, according to a press release. With over 8,000 square feet of space the travel center offers fresh food, beverages and fuel. The travel center marks Wawa's 15th store in North Carolina.

"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," John Poplawski, chief real estate officer for Wawa, said in the release.

The company plans to open the next two travel centers, one in Ohio and one in Indiana, in the coming months.

Over the next 8-10 years, Wawa plans to build and open six to eight 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.