CHANTILLY, VA--(Marketwired - Dec 16, 2015) - Wawa Inc., today announced the grand opening of three new stores in Virginia -- each to open on December 18, 2015 -- celebrating its first-ever grand opening triple header in the state of Virginia and Wawa's first location in Fairfax County. The stores will be located at:

• 4350 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA 20151
• 5280 W Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23605
• 2916 Godwin Boulevard, Suffolk, VA 23434

To celebrate this exciting triple header grand opening event, Wawa will host three in-store celebrations, each of which will include a ribbon cutting and charitable Hoagies For Heroes hoagie-building competition benefiting local charities identified by the local fire and police from each area. As Wawa opens three stores in Virginia, the Wawa Foundation, Wawa's non-profit foundation through which all charitable giving is funneled, will announce a donation of $30,000 to the Special Olympics, honoring Wawa's long-standing partnership with the Special Olympics and the organization's importance as national and regional partner.

"We are thrilled to celebrate this tremendous milestone in our Virginia expansion as we spread our wings to serve more customers and communities and fulfill more lives each day," said Chris Gheysens, Wawa's President and CEO. "Opening our first Fairfax County location and new stores in Suffolk and Hampton is a significant step toward furthering our ability to invest in Virginia by building new stores and creating more jobs. We are honored and excited to be able to open three stores on the same day, and we welcome our new neighbors three times over."

About Wawa's Virginia Expansion
By the end of 2015, Wawa will have 79 stores in the Virginia market, eight of which will have opened in 2015. The three new Virginia locations opening on December 18 will create more than 30 new jobs each, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the stores. During 2015, Wawa will open 50 stores throughout its operating area, including 24 in the Mid-Atlantic market and 26 in the Florida market. In 2016, Wawa plans to open at least three more stores in the state of Virginia.

Associates in these full and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries and health benefits but will have the opportunity to be enrolled in Wawa's employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Wawa Associates own more than 41% of Wawa through the ESOP. The new Wawa stores will offer customers numerous Wawa brands, such as the award-winning Wawa coffee (195 million cups sold annually); the Sizzli™, Wawa's hot breakfast sandwich; Wawa's new line of specialty beverages (hot, cold, iced and frozen); Wawa Bakery; Wawa's built-to-order hoagies (80 million sold annually); and Wawa's beverage line of juices and teas.

Wawa Triple Header Virginia Grand Opening Events Details

On Friday, December 18, 2015 the Virginia grand openings will proceed as follows:

• 4350 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 at 8:00 a.m.
• 5280 W Mercury Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23605 at 1:00 p.m.
• 2916 Godwin Boulevard, Suffolk, VA 23434 at 3:00 p.m.

At each event, representatives from the Special Olympics; regional police and firefighters; Wawa officials and associates, customers; and Wawa's mascot, Wally Goose, will join in a ceremonial ribbon cutting at each of the locations. The events will proceed as follows:

• Wawa associates and community members will join in a parade of Wawa history featuring visual signs of Wawa's evolution through the years
• Wawa officials to share a special message about Wawa's continued expansion into the Virginia market and the continued creation of new jobs
• Representatives from The Wawa Foundation will announce the donation of $30,000 to the Special Olympics. Representatives from the Special Olympics will also be on hand at the Suffolk and Hampton grand openings
• Each location will compete in a Hoagies for Heroes hoagie building competition to benefit local charities
• All three new stores will offer FREE coffee through December 20th

Hoagies for Heroes Competition
The event will include a charitable Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building triple header contest, as representatives from local fire and police, or their designated charity representatives, face off in a battle of bravery, skill and sandwich-making expertise. Each team will be challenged to see who can build the most hoagies in three minutes in the traditional Wawa way. Wawa will conclude the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by making charitable donations on behalf of the winning team's choice. 

Each new Wawa store will employ more than 30 associates, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the stores. Associates in these full and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries and health benefits but will have the opportunity to be enrolled in Wawa's employee stock ownership plan.