Wawa opens fifth store, says more are on way

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Wawa celebrated the opening of it’s fifth Northeast Florida convenience store Thursday — and said there could be 25 more on the way

The grand opening of Wawa at 9715 Beach Blvd. will create about 40 jobs.

Photos by Scott Sailer Steve Hasher, Wawa director of store operations, speaks at the grand opening for the convenience store at 9715 Beach Blvd. He said the company plans to have 11 area stores by the end of 2019.

Steve Hasher, Wawa director of store operations, said the company plans to have 11 area stores open by the end of 2019 and nine more by 2020.

Brian Duke, regional real estate manager with Wawa, said the company hopes to eventually have 30 stores in the area and potentially more as the area development growth continues.

Florida is the only Southeastern U.S. state Wawa has entered.

Jacksonville City Council member Matt Schellenberg sits for a caricature at the grand opening.

The Beach Boulevard store is the 162nd store in the state. Duke said they plan to grow to 300-400 stores in Florida.

The grand opening included a speech from City Council member Scott Wilson, who spoke about the infill development to the area, the jobs provided and Wawa’s commitments to charitable organizations.

The next area Wawa to open will be in Middleburg in early December. The chain also has a store in Orange Park.