Wawa announced the grand opening of its first store in the state of Alabama. Located in Baldwin County, in Fairhope, Alabama, this location is the first of three Wawa stores slated to open in the South Alabama market before the end of summer.
“We are excited to fly into Alabama and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this market for the very first time. This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing investment in Alabama as we continue our plans to build new stores and create new jobs,” said Brian Schaller, president of Wawa.
The next Wawa locations will open in Mobile and Robertsdale, Alabama this summer. Construction also recently began at a fourth store. Overall, Wawa plans to open 7 to 10 stores in the Baldwin County and Mobile markets over the next three to four years, according to the press release. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create hundreds of long-term new jobs with its continued expansion into Baldwin County and Mobile.
“We are also thrilled about extending our commitment to being a good neighbor to Baldwin County, and our partnerships with Prodisee Pantry and USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital are examples of how we will support local causes,” Schaller said.
Local officials, first responders and community members were in attendance for the grand opening, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, parade of Wawa history, local cheerleaders and musicians, and a “Hoagies for Heroes” charitable hoagie-building competition between local fire and police teams. The first 250 customers received special milestone Wawa t-shirts.
In Alabama’s first “Hoagies for Heroes” contest, members of the Fairhope fire and police departments faced off in a battle of sandwich-making skills. Each team was challenged to build the most hoagies in three minutes in the traditional Wawa way. The winning and runner-up teams each received checks for $1,000 to the charities of their choice.
The grand opening celebration also kicked off Wawa’s “Lending a Helping Hoagie” program to benefit Prodisee Pantry, a non-profit organization providing emergency food and disaster relief to Baldwin County families facing hardship stemming from job loss, medical expenses, natural disasters and other crises.
Wawa also committed to donating a portion of hoagie sales from the first Baldwin County store (up to $5,000) to Prodisee Pantry to help fight hunger in the local community. The Wawa Foundation will also announce a grant to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital to support child life programs.