Wawa set to open first stores in SWFL

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- A new chain is hitting Southwest Florida and customers are excited.

Three Wawa stores are opening Thursday.

You can go to a Wawa to fill up the tank, but it’s the sandwiches and atmosphere that really draw in customers.

“We saw the growth in the market place, we saw the number of sites that we could get, so traffic count and growth in the market is a good thing for us,” said Wawa’s Chief Marketing Officer Carol Jensen.

Over the past year, a number of new businesses have opened up shop in our corner of the state, and there’s no sign of that slowing down.

“I believe it illustrates to a broader community, especially young people, that there’s great opportunity and high quality of life experience in Fort Myers,” said Mayor Randy Henderson.

With the introduction of the Wawa brand comes 150 new jobs.

A preview of the stores on Wednesday showed just how excited they are to open their doors. It also gave customers a chance to learn how Wawa gives back.

The first week open, every dollar made on a sandwich will be donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

“When they came to the are, they contacted us fairly quickly and said ‘we want to work with you, how can we work with you?’ That was a great phone call to take,” said Miriam Pereira.

By 2017, Wawa plans to have 12 stores across Southwest Florida and create up to 600 positions.

The stores opening locally are located at:

761 Del Prado Blvd North
Cape Coral, FL 33909

12701 S. Cleveland Ave
Fort Myers, FL 33907

2370 Colonial Blvd
Fort Myers, FL 33907