Wawa wants to go big in Northern Virginia with prime spots outside of Washington D.C., a location that pits it against rivals Sheetz and Rutter’s, writes Daniel J. Sernovitz for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Wawa’s been eyeing Greater Washington since the late 1990s.

It’s using the commercial real estate services of the Virginia-based Rappaport firm to find locations in Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Rappaport has recently been marketing Wawa to prospective property owners for sale or lease.

Wawa’s looking to open about 20 stores in that region, including in the cities of  Alexandria and Fairfax.

Long-term, Wawa wants 60 locations in Virginia over the next 10 years.

We’re now at a point where we’re ready to start rolling,” said Pat O’Meara, executive director of brokerage, who’s part of the Rappaport team

The Delaware County-based convenience store chain has eight stores in Prince William County, but limited growth elsewhere in the Northern Virginia region.

It has only  one store in Fairfax County on the Route 28 corridor, one in Vienna, one in Fairfax City and two in Loudon.

There are about two dozen Wawas in the region currently. It is not looking to open in Washington, D.C.

Find out more details about Wawa’s expansion plans in the Philadelphia Business Journal.