Dive Brief:
- Sheetz is slated to enter Indiana in 2027, with plans to invest nearly $1 billion opening 100 stores over the next 10 years, the company announced on Wednesday.
- The company plans to open its first sites in the greater Indianapolis area, with specific locations and timelines to be announced at a later date, according to the announcement.
- Sheetz’ entry into Indiana is the latest move in its Midwestern expansion and puts it alongside fellow super-regional chains RaceTrac, QuikTrip and Wawa in targeting the Hoosier State.
Dive Insight:
Sheetz, which currently has more than 830 stores across seven states, opened its first Midwest locations in Ohio almost 30 years ago and has ramped up its presence in the area in recent years. In April 2021, the company opened its first location in the Columbus area and shared plans to open 50 stores in that market over the next few years. An expansion into Michigan followed in 2024, with the company planning to add 14 more stores across that state in 2026 alone.
Now, Indiana is on the list as well.
“Over the past several years, we have received a significant number of inquiries from Indiana residents who want to see Sheetz in their communities,” said Travis Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz. “This momentum has been reinforced by the enthusiastic response to our unique offerings in new Midwest markets.”
Sheetz reiterated that its $145 million distribution center in Findlay, Ohio, is on schedule to open later this year and will help support the retailer’s ambitious growth plans in the region.
Even before Sheetz made this announcement, Indiana had become a hotbed of growing convenience retail competition in the past five years.
The three largest c-store companies in the U.S. all have a presence in Indiana, with 7-Eleven-owned Speedway, Circle K and Casey’s General Stores all boasting dozens of locations. But the state has also become a magnet for super-regionals in the past few years. Racetrac entered Indiana in late 2023 and now has three stores in the state, according to its website. Pennsylvania-based Wawa opened its first store in the state last year, with plans to add 60 total c-stores there through 2033. QuikTrip also opened its first Indiana site in 2025 and has since opened a second.
Wawa and QuikTrip ended up opening their first Indiana stores down the road from one another in a small town called Daleville.
Additionally, smaller convenience retailers Wally’s, Hop’s Shops and Ridi Stores have decided to test the waters in Indiana.
Sheetz noted in an FAQ about the expansion that it’s no stranger to a crowded operating environment, saying “time and again, we've entered competitive markets and proven that there's substantial demand for fresh choices and multiple convenience options to meet the needs of residents.”
