Sheetz has rapidly expanded its footprint in the Lehigh Valley in recent years, but now it’s turning its attention to one of its oldest locations in the region.
The convenience store chain’s Schoenersville Road location in Bethlehem closed Sunday and is set to be entirely rebuilt, Nick Ruffner, public relations manager for Sheetz, confirmed to 첥Ƶ. A chain link fence surrounds the property.
Plans for the location came to light last year after the chain . Those plans, which were approved last May, called for the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new store totaling nearly 6,100 square feet.
Among the highlights of the new store will be the addition of a drive-thru, a feature of some newer Sheetz locations. The rebuilt location will also have a new car wash and a gas station with 12 fueling stations.
“Sheetz is excited to be offering our loyal customers in Bethlehem a new store at this site which will include a new store design, a restaurant-style experience with self-service kiosks and additional seating both inside and outside the store,” Ruffner said.
If all goes as planned, the new store is set to open in the fall, Ruffner said. In the meantime, workers at the old store have been offered temporary jobs with the company until the rebuild is complete.
The Schoenersville Road location, which opened in 2006, was the chain’s second Lehigh Valley store. Sheetz’s first area location opened in 2002 on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.
Since then, Sheetz’s . The newest one, also in Bethlehem at 1780 E. 4th St. on the city’s South Side, opened in May.
The expansion comes as Altoona-based Sheetz and Delaware County-based Wawa battle for Pennsylvania convenience store bragging rights. While Sheetz has added locations across eastern Pennsylvania, Wawa has been making moves deep into Sheetz territory.
As it celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this year, Wawa announced plans to .
