MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (KDKA) – Wawa will open its first store in central Pennsylvania next month.

The gas station and convenience store chain announced Monday that it will open its Middletown location on September 19. Wawa expands into the area which is traditionally held by Sheetz from Altoonawith its newest location on West Harrisburg Pike right next to an existing Sheetz store.

Wawa plans to open stores in York, Dover, Williamsport, Hanover and Enola by the end of the year. Over the next five years, Wawa plans to open up to 40 stores in central Pennsylvania.

Wawa has entered Sheetz territory, most recently the groundbreaking ceremony at his first store in West Virginia.

Katie Stevens, Wawa’s store manager, said in a statement that the company looks forward to expanding into central Pennsylvania and becoming a “strong, committed community partner.”

The Sheetz vs. Wawa debate

The Sheetz-Wawa rivalry divides Pennsylvania: the western half usually sides with Sheetz and the eastern half chooses Wawa.

Sheetz has over 740 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina, and the chain has recently moved to Michigan. Wawa has about 1,000 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC 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 remained neutral and visited Wawa in Philadelphia the next day. Even celebrities have joined the debate. During Post Malone’s concert in Star Lake last summer he wore a Wawa shirtwhich prompted Sheetz to do a little Photoshop work to add her logo instead.