Wawa is closing its first and only digital convenience store on Wednesday at Drexel University, the company told student-run newspaper The Triangle.
The c-store is at 3300 Market St. on the college campus in Philadelphia.
“This location has served University City since 2018, and we are grateful for the support of the local community during that time,” Lori Bruce, senior media relations manager at Wawa, said in a statement to The Triangle.
- Wawa is No. 10 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count
All employees from this site will be given opportunities to continue working at other Wawa stores, Bruce said.
“Over the years, we have made several attempts to address business and operational challenges at this location,” the statement said. “This includes partnering with property owner, Drexel University, in an attempt to address some of these issues and most recently making investments in our store design to test a fully digital format. Unfortunately, this test did not adequately improve performance or deliver an enhanced customer experience, which ultimately led to the decision to close the store.”
Wawa first tested the fully digital concept in August 2023 at this location. It required customers to place orders using Wawa’s mobile app or in-store touchscreens, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. In-store associates behind the counter filled the orders.
“We are always testing new formats to provide the greatest level of convenience for our customers, some of which include our drive-thrus, our fly-thru mobile order windows and now a full-serve, digital experience format,” Wawa told the Philadelphia Business Journal at the time.
The closure marks the 12th Philadelphia location to close in recent years due to safety and security concerns, The Triangle said, and the brand has predominantly shifted to opening large-scale suburban stores with gas stations as it embarks on nationwide expansion.
Wawa said to Philadelphia Business Journal in 2024 that a store it closed at that time was unable to “provide the same kind of in-store experience and full Wawa offer that customers expect” due to its size.
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