PHILADELPHIA -- Wawa Inc. on Dec. 14 opened its newest Philadelphia location, the largest in the more than 800-unit convenience-store chain. Wawa’s newest Center City store occupies a portion of the historic Public Ledger building near attractions such as the Liberty Bell and Independence National Historic Park, which draw heavy tourist traffic.
“All of us at Wawa are incredibly proud to open our largest store ever in this historic building situated right in the heart of Philadelphia’s Historic District,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa president and CEO. “This store is truly special for all of us at Wawa. It combines Philadelphia’s unique place in history and the site of many ‘Philly firsts’ with a unique, brand-new look and the very latest Wawa offerings. We look forward to welcoming new customers into this legendary space.”
At 11,500 square feet, about a third larger than any of Wawa’s existing stores, the new location includes several new product platforms and feature elements “unique to this location that bring to life the Wawa brand in new ways,” the company said.
Here are the details …
Highlights of the new Philadelphia Wawa store include …
The store’s grand opening events included a procession highlighting Wawa’s history and culture, with a fife and drum corps, historic Philadelphia and area mascots and a “declaration” read by an actor portraying Thomas Jefferson acknowledging the opening of the new store. It also featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Wawa leaders and associates.
Wawa will also be giving away prizes, and it will offer free coffee in any size all day through the weekend.
The event also featured the largest Hoagies for Heroes sandwich-building competition in Wawa’s history, with donations given to charities selected by the participants.
The Wawa, Pa.-based chain has more than 800 c-stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. It is No. 9 in CSP’s2018 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by number of company-owned retail outlets.
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