Wawa sets opening date for first central Pennsylvania store
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (KDKA) -- Wawa will open its first store in central Pennsylvania next month.
The gas station and convenience store chain announced on Monday that it will open its location in Middletown on Sept. 19. Wawa is expanding into territory that has traditionally been held by Altoona-based Sheetz, with its newest location on West Harrisburg Pike right next to an existing Sheetz store.
Wawa said it plans to open stores in York, Dover, Williamsport, Hanover and Enola by the end of the year. In the next five years, Wawa said it wants to have up to 40 stores in the central Pennsylvania market.
Wawa has been creeping into Sheetz territory, most recently breaking ground on its first store in West Virginia.
Katie Stevens, Wawa's director of store operations, said in a statement that the company is excited to expand into central Pennsylvania and become a "strong, committed community partner."
The Sheetz vs. Wawa debate
The Sheetz-Wawa rivalry divides Pennsylvania, with the western half usually siding with Sheetz and the eastern half picking Wawa.
Sheetz has over 740 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina, and the chain has recently been moving into Michigan. Wawa has about 1,000 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Earlier this year, Wawa announced plans to open stores in three new states: Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.
The rivalry flared up on social media in April when President Biden stopped by Sheetz during his visit to Pittsburgh, but he played it neutral and visited Wawa in Philadelphia the next day. Even celebrities have weighed in on the debate. During Post Malone's concert at Star Lake last summer, he sported a Wawa shirt, prompting a little Photoshop job from Sheetz to add their logo instead.