Dive Brief:
- The Wills Group, owner of the Dash In convenience store chain, is under contract to acquire 16 locations in the Carolinas for $143 million, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Most of the sites are in North Carolina, including 10 locations in the Charlotte area and others in the Triad and Raleigh markets, the spokesperson said. The expansion will also include one site in Fort Mill, South Carolina, making the company’s first purchase in The Palmetto State.
- This comes about seven months after The Wills Group acquired a property in Charlotte, commencing the company's years-long plan to enter the Carolinas.
Dive Insight:
In October 2023, Wills Group President and CEO Julian B. “Blackie” Wills said in an interview with C-Store Dive that the retailer was looking to triple its store count by 2030 and that the Carolinas would be a major part of that expansion. He emphasized the region’s proximity to Dash In’s current 57-store footprint across Maryland, Virginia and Delaware, as well as its growing population.
That plan appears to be in full swing two years later. Wills told the Charlotte Business Journal, which first reported the news, that although there are no guarantees the retailer will receive the permits for every site it has targeted, the goal is to add 10 to 15 stores annually over the next five–plus years.
Construction on the first site will begin this month in Concord, North Carolina, according to the spokesperson, who did not disclose a seller or sellers of all 16 locations. Other North Carolina locations that the company expects to debut in 2026 include ones in Graham, Salisbury and another near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Each location will be 5,600 square-feet and feature Dash In’s made-to-order food menu and line of custom-made beverages, the spokesperson said. Wills told the Charlotte Business Journal that the company will invest between $7.5 million to $9.5 million going into each site.
