Sheetz is pressing ahead with its expansion in southeastern North Carolina, submitting site plans for a new location in Leland that would mark the chain's debut in Brunswick County. The move underscores the company's aggressive growth strategy in the Wilmington metropolitan area as competition among convenience-store operators intensifies.
Expansion Details
According to local reports, the proposed Leland store is currently under review by county officials. If approved, it would become Sheetz's first outlet in Brunswick County, adding to the chain's growing presence in the region. Sheetz opened its first Wilmington-area store in Hampstead in July 2024, followed by two locations on Carolina Beach Road and another on Shipyard Boulevard, as noted by WilmingtonBiz.
To support the new site, Sheetz has posted job listings for the Leland area, with a full-time overnight store team member position advertised at $15 per hour. The posting, dated June 10, specifies a 28451 ZIP code and notes an additional $1.50 per hour differential for night shifts between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. A separate listing from June 9 seeks a part-time cleaning team member, also at $15 per hour, with duties covering store cleaning, fuel pumps, restrooms, food and beverage stations, coolers, and grounds maintenance.
Competitive Landscape
Sheetz's expansion is part of a broader push by convenience-store chains in the Cape Fear region. Competitors including Wawa, Royal Farms, 7-Eleven, and Refuel have all been linked to recent or planned sites in the area. In 2024, WilmingtonBiz highlighted Sheetz as one of several companies growing in the region, pointing to a near-complete, 6,100-square-foot store on Shipyard Boulevard.
Nationally, Sheetz continues to scale its operations, reaching 800 stores with a new Raleigh location in August 2025, according to NACS. The chain now operates in Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland.
Operational Challenges
The growth update comes amid a separate legal incident tied to a Sheetz store in Ohio. In Summit County, Kamar Marshall Parham of Akron pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges stemming from a road-rage shooting that occurred on November 9, 2025. According to authorities, the incident began on Home Avenue in Akron and continued to Main Street in Cuyahoga Falls, where shots were fired at two vehicles at a Sheetz gas station. One of the vehicles contained a 13-year-old boy, though no injuries were reported.
Parham received a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of felonious assault and one count of evidence tampering, as reported by Cleveland 19. A co-defendant, Lashay Nicole Marie Jackson, also from Akron, faces three counts of felonious assault and is scheduled for a jury trial on August 3.
For Sheetz, the twin headlines highlight the dual challenges facing convenience-store operators: securing prime real estate in tight markets while maintaining safety standards as they rapidly add locations.
