Sheetz Plans Concord Location, Closest to Charlotte

Sheetz filed plans with Cabarrus County last month. They want to build a 24-hour gas station and restaurant at 4830 Weddington Road in Concord. The chain, based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, confirmed this project but said it's too early to share more information.

This Concord spot would sit about 20 miles from uptown Charlotte, making it the nearest store to the city.

"We appreciate the strong interest from residents in the Charlotte area and their enthusiasm for Sheetz entering this market," the company said in a statement, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The family-owned business operates more than 830 stores across Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Michigan. North Carolina has 140 spots, with six near Charlotte in Salisbury, Statesville, and Hickory.

The chain started its North Carolina push in April 2004. That's when it opened its first store in Walkertown, near Winston-Salem, northeast of Charlotte. Around 3,700 people work for the company in North Carolina.

Each store hires about 30 people. Most work full-time. Workers in North Carolina make around $14 per hour, while supervisors earn $17 and assistant managers pull in $23.

The gas station sells made-to-order food and customizable coffee. It has mobile pickup lanes, indoor and outdoor seating, groceries, touch-free restrooms, and free Wi-Fi. One person on Reddit said the chain is basically a fast-food restaurant that sells gas.

The company faces competition from other gas and convenience stores. Oklahoma-based QuikTrip is a rival. So are Texas-based 7-Eleven and Buc-ee's. Buc-ee's plans to open its first North Carolina spot next year in Mebane.

Wawa is another Pennsylvania convenience chain and a rival. It's also growing in North Carolina with around 14 stores in the eastern part of the state, though none have been announced in the Charlotte region.

This month, the convenience chain announced it's investing nearly $1 billion to add 100 stores over the next decade in Indiana, which will create more than 3,000 jobs.