Wawa introduces itself to Northeast Florida, reveals another new planned location in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Convenience store chain Wawa held two "Community Partnership Events" in Northeast Florida on Thursday, June 9, to introduce itself and its product offerings to the area.

Wawa plans to eventually open 25 to 35 stores in the greater Jacksonville area, said Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens.

"We've had a lot of fans reach out, we've opened stores in Central Florida a few years ago and this has been a natural progression but the fans are really excited to get their Wawa and it's coming really soon," Gheysens said.

The locations for four Wawa stores have been revealed so far, three in Duval County and one in Clay County:

-Monument and McCormick roads, Jacksonville
-Beach Boulevard and Central Parkway, Jacksonville
-Gate and Town Center parkways, Jacksonville
-Blanding Boulevard and Filmore Street, Orange Park

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Those stores will bring 1,000 jobs to the area, Gheysens said.

"They're not just entry-level jobs, they are roles we've seen people, with our growth, get promotions, go into managerial positions and also at Wawa, you're an owner," Gheysens said.

Each store is roughly $5 million to $6 million each, Gheysens said, and the 25 to 35 planned stores represent roughly a $150 million investment in the Jacksonville area.

Gheysens said construction to begin in the spring of 2017. Stores are set to open late 2017 and 10 more will be coming in 2018.

"We are a place where you're going to want to go every day and sometimes multiple times a day for great coffee, award-winning coffee, fabulous hoagies you can customize on the touch screen," Gheysens said. "Or you can go late at night, we're open all the time. We have the best gas prices and also the friendliest people. Our mission is to make that the best three minutes of your day."

Cox Media Group