TAMPA, Fla. -- Wawa Inc. opened its second store in the Tampa Bay Region in Florida on Feb. 13, the first store to open in the City of Tampa, near the campus of the University of South Florida.
This location is the second of five Wawa stores in the Tampa Bay Region to open in five weeks. The first opened on Feb. 8 in Pinellas Park.
Wawa will continue to penetrate the Central Florida market with openings scheduled for a store in Port Richey on Feb. 20 and two stores in New Port Richey on Feb. 27 and March 6.
In 2013 Wawa will open 10 stores in Tampa and 15 new Orlando stores. Throughout the Orlando/Tampa markets, Wawa will open 25 stores in 2014 and 25 stores in 2015, and it projects that it will open 100 stores in the Orlando/Tampa markets in the next five years.
Commissioner Sandy Murman, vice chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission, other local officials, the University of South Florida's show band, cheerleaders and mascot Rocky D. Bull joined Wawa official for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as a charitable hoagie building competition featuring the Tampa Police Department versus the Tampa Fire Rescue.
"We were so delighted with the warm welcome we received with our first opening in the Tampa Bay area, and we are thrilled to open our second store near the USF campus and to have the University Show Band to be part of our grand opening festivities," said Chris Gheysens, Wawa's president and CEO. "With the second opening, we also continue our Lending a Helping Hoagie program to donate funds to the Feeding America food banks in the Tampa Bay area. In addition, we are proud to continue our longstanding support of local heroes--thanking them for the service they provide to the community--including the local fire and police departments."
Wawa, based in Wawa, Pa., is a chain of more than 600 convenience retail stores (300 offering gasoline) located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and Florida.
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