Lakewood Ranch Wawa sells for $3.5 million to New Jersey buyer
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- A Wawa station that opened last fall has been sold.
On Feb. 29, a New Jersey buyer paid the station's developer $3.5 million for the 2-acre property and 5,600-square- foot convenience store. The selling price is in line with similar recent transactions. Last July, a Rhode Island company paid $3.41 million for a Wawa location at 4459 State Road 64 E.
Brightwork Real Estate, a Tampa real estate investment and development company, lists Wawa as one of its clients and was the seller. The company bought the property at 14510 State Road 70 E. in late 2014 for $1.2 million, according to Manatee County property records. Three weeks ago, Brightwork paid about $1 million for another future Wawa site on University Parkway at Honore Avenue.
Wawa, a Pennsylvania company, leases its Manatee County locations. It is one of two fuel and convenience chains, along with RaceTrac, that has been aggressively growing its local footprint by opening multiple stores every year since 2014.
The station's new owner, 120 Ethel Road West LLC, is managed by a New Jersey law firm. State corporate records do not show whether the company owns any other Wawa stations.
Wawa has opened five locations in Manatee County since late 2014. A Wawa that opened on 14th Street West in August was the chain's 700th location.
A sixth store under construction is scheduled to open at 4506 53rd Ave. E. this summer.
The company has also started developing locations in Sarasota County, including the Honore Avenue location.
Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027 or on Twitter@MattAtBradenton.
This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 11:47 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch Wawa sells for $3.5 million to New Jersey buyer ."