Baltimore's homegrown convenience-store chain is headed farther south.
Royal Farms recently announced that it plans to open at least six stores in eastern North Carolina in early 2023 - and "RoFo" isn't the only one moving in on the Tar Heel State.
Wawa is also opening stores in North Carolina. It may be competing with Royal Farms for the same areas. Both Wawa and Royal Farms are opening stores in Greenville. Wawa already has a store in Elizabeth City and is reportedly moving into Kill Devil Hills, which are both near Royal Farms' first planned store in Grandy.
Royal Farms spokesperson Aliyah Atayee said in a statement:
“We are very excited to pioneer into the First Flight state and expand our offerings into the community. Not only does Royal Farms bring value and more convenient options to neighborhoods, but we are also passionate about giving back to the areas we do business in. We look forward to getting involved in the community and seeing our first responders in uniform get free coffee whenever they stop in. We thank North Carolina for welcoming Royal Farms into this beautiful state."
Royal Farms said it will build stores in Grandy, New Bern, Greenville, Lumberton, Kinston, and Jacksonville. The chain also plans to "open more locations in other areas of the state." All locations will include a gas station, and some will have carwashes.
Royal Farms has more than 260 locations in the mid-Atlantic, including Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia. It has six stores currently in the works throughout Maryland, and one in New Jersey.
Wawa has more than 900 locations in the mid-Atlantic and Florida. The chain announced this summer that it also plans to expand into Alabama and Tennessee in 2025.
