Philadelphia-based Wawa’s growth plans continue to soar through 2024, as the company announced plans to open 70 new stores in both existing markets as well as new ones. The company will open its first stores in three new states: Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

In 2023, the company announced its plans to open approximately 80 stores across North Carolina’s eastern region, with the first eight locations opening in 2024. Additionally, Wawa stated that it plans to open 160 stores across the Midwest in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.

“Since our first store opened its doors 60 years ago, it’s been an honor serving our communities with trusted, quality products and convenience to most importantly offering comfort and camaraderie to local friends and neighbors,” said Chris Gheysens, CEO of Wawa. “We pride ourselves on brightening days and as we continue to grow, we promise to continue fulfilling lives at every new store and look forward to serving the community for many more years to come!”

According to a company press release, Wawa makes significant long-term investments in the more than 1,000 local communities it serves. Every new store generates at least 35 new local long-term jobs.

Wawa aims to open as many as 280 stores over the next decade, a move that Gheysens described as the “most aggressive growth” in the company’s history, Bloomberg reported. In 2022, Gheysens told the Philadelphia Business Journal that the current expansion was partially prompted by the number of people who stopped at the retailer’s Petersburg, Virginia, location—the last Wawa until Florida.