Dive Brief:
- Wawa has broken ground on the first of dozens of planned convenience stores in Tennessee, the company announced on Wednesday.
- The retailer held an event in Murfreesboro on Tuesday, sharing food samples and outlining growth projections for the market.
- Tennessee will be one of the last areas included in Wawa’s massive eight-state expansion plan to open its first store. West Virginia is the only other state awaiting its Wawa debut.
Dive Insight:
Wawa officials shared more details about the retailer’s plans in Tennessee at the groundbreaking.
“Our initial expansion plans for Tennessee include six new Wawa stores in 2026,” Megan Salvador, the regional real estate representative for Wawa, said at the groundbreaking, according toThe Tennessean. “And in 10 years, our goal is to have more than 50 in the state.”
In addition to the Murfreesboro site, construction has also begun on a store in Clarksville, according to the announcement.
Both stores are expected to open in the second half of 2026.
The Tennessean also reported that Salvador shared the locations of other early stores, noting that Wawa has 20 locations under contract — including two more in Murfreesboro and sites in Manchester, Dickson, Robertson, Wilson and Cheatham County. The retailer is also targeting sites in Bellevue and Springfield.
Wawa opened its first store in Alabama in April 2024. North Carolina followed shortly after, with Wawa’s Georgia debut coming in November of that year. Earlier this year, both Ohio and Indiana received their first Wawas, and Kentucky’s initial site opened in July.
