Wawa Stores Are Moving Into Ohio and Indiana

Snowbirds, REJOICE! The familiar chain from your annual winter getaway will soon be in the upper Midwest when you return home!

The popular grocery and convenience chain Wawa, mostly located in warmer, southern states like Florida, is officially coming to Ohio and Indiana.

My parents recently retired and moved to Florida, but even before, they would vacation there in the summers. When I'd travel to meet them, there was always one thing we'd do on the first day, and that's "make a trip to the Wawa."

Such a ridiculous name for a chain, but it's actually pretty amazing. The stores offer everything from groceries to snacks, even alcohol and toiletries. And in parts of the south, Wawa are built into complete grocery stores, too, where you can pick up everything... like a southern WalMart or Meijer.

Recently, the company announced that they were looking to expand, and now officially, locations will be in Ohio and Indiana, opening some time in 2025.

"At Wawa, growth means strengthening our existing markets as well as expanding to both adjacent and new markets so we can reach new friends and neighbors and welcome them as part of our extended family."

Chris Gheysens, who is the president and CEO of the company is excited for the expansion, but funny enough, about a third of those "new family members" have visited a Wawa in their annual getaways to the south.

Granted, Ohio and Indiana don't quite have the migratory population like Michigan does, but still, plenty of people in the Midwest are still familiar, and fans of the southern chain.

I know we still have to wait a whole year for things to get here, but allow us to extend a firm welcome to Wawa to a little bit of a cooler climate.