Wawa plans to open its Outer Banks store, the first of several planned for APP Carolina, at 8 a.m. May 16.
The convenience store and gas station at 1900 N. Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills sits across from Target, which opened last April.
The Outer Banks Wawa begins the company’s 10-year expansion into APP Carolina, with plans for 80 stores across the state, including one to open in nearby Elizabeth City later this year, the company said in a release.
To build each store, Wawa said it will invest roughly $7 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners. Once open, each store will employ 35 workers, with Wawa expecting to create more than 2,800 new jobs as a result, the release said. The first eight to 10 stores will open this year and another 15 are planned for next year, the release said.
The 6,000-square-foot Outer Banks store will have eight gas pumps, 52 parking spaces and two underground tanks, according to site plans filed with the Town of Kill Devil Hills.
The family- and employee-owned Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain operates 1,000 stores in six states and Washington. The closest store to the Outer Banks previously was in Chesapeake.
The chain got its name from the town where it opened its first dairy operation — Wawa, Pennsylvania — in 1902. Wawa is said to be a Native American word for Canada goose.
