Wawa (company)

Old Wawa logo used from 1990 to 2004

The Wawa business began in 1803 as an iron foundry.[5] In 1890, George Wood, an entrepreneur from New Jersey,[8] moved to Delaware County, Pennsylvania; it was here that he began the Wawa Dairy Farm.[8] Wood imported cows from the British Crown dependency island of Guernsey, and bought 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land in the Chester Heights area;[8] the corporate headquarters would later be renamed Wawa. Since pasteurization was not yet available, many children faced sickness from consuming raw milk. Wood arranged for doctors to certify his milk was sanitary and safe for consumption, which convinced many consumers to buy the product.[8] The strategy worked, and allowed the Wawa dairy to grow. Demand for dairy products grew rapidly during the 1920s, and so did the company. Wawa began using the slogan "Buy Health by the Bottle"; they served customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, delivering milk to customers' homes.

In the 1960s, however, many consumers began buying milk in stores instead of using home delivery. Wawa started to open its own stores to adjust to these market changes.[5][8] On April 16, 1964, Grahame Wood, George Wood's grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market at 1212 MacDade Boulevard in Folsom, Pennsylvania,[9] which remained in operation until June 17, 2016, when it closed in favor of a new "Super Wawa" down the street. A parade was held from the original location to the new store on opening day.[7][10][11]

The Wawa Food Market stores were also part of a then-new trend in retailing, the convenience store. Open both earlier and later than traditional supermarkets, they carried other foods and beverages besides milk, as well as other items from the Wawa dairy.

The old Wawa Dairy Farms building in Wawa, Pennsylvania

In 1977, Wawa began sharing ownership of the company with its associates through profit-sharing plans. In 1992, Wawa formalized its associate ownership with its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), with stock being awarded to associates annually based on the prior year's service. Because the company is privately held, Wawa secures an independent assessment of its stock value at regular intervals to ensure that the ESOP is fairly maintained. Today, the ESOP accounts for more than 40% of Wawa stock.

Wawa provides surcharge-free ATMs, the result of a partnership with PNC Bank that began in 1985. Wawa implemented the program in stores in 1996. In 2010, Wawa surpassed 1 billion transactions under the PNC brand.[24]

In the late 1980s and through the 1990s, Wawa engaged in a scholarship sponsorship program that involved Irish students (mainly from UCC in Cork, Ireland) running some stores on the Pennsylvania Main Line, allowing the students to study for their MBAs from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.[25]

A Wawa coffee bar counter with different flavors. A staple of Wawa stores for years, the glass carafes were replaced with coffee dispensers around 2010.

In 1994, Wawa opened a store in Center City, Philadelphia, which sold food only.[26]

In 1994, Wawa debuted the "Super Wawa", larger stores with public restrooms and more parking. Gasoline pumps were added in 1996.[27][9] On October 21, 2010, Wawa began testing the sale of diesel fuel at 12 of its New Jersey locations due to an increasing number of cars using this fuel.[28]

In the 2000s, Wawa was among the first stores to implement self-serve computer touch-screen menus for food orders, in an attempt to improve order accuracy, speed and for upselling.[29]

In 2003, Wawa and McLane Co. reached a 30-year agreement to construct a distribution center in Carney's Point, New Jersey, to handle the majority of Wawa's distribution.[30][31] The center began operation in May 2004.[31]

In 2005, Wawa partnered with JPMorgan Chase to offer a Visa credit card branded with the Wawa name. It ceased issuing new cards in December 2007 and the program was canceled in November 2010.[32] Wawa would later partner with Citi to restart the Wawa credit card program.[33]

Wawa moved into social media to connect with its customers, and in 2006, its "I Love Wawa" MySpace page had over 5,000 members. By the middle of 2013, its Facebook page had reached nearly 1.1 million likes.[34]

On June 30, 2010, 20 Wawa locations in Pennsylvania started a trial of selling Pennsylvania Lottery tickets from automated kiosks. On December 6, 2010, it announced that all 210 Pennsylvania Wawa locations would sell lottery tickets from kiosks by spring 2011.[35][36]

On April 16, 2014, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Wawa gave away free coffee and launched a nonprofit foundation to donate $50 million to health and hunger initiatives.[37]

Chicken salad hoagie from Wawa

Wawa offers products found at most convenience chain marts such as chips, drinks, and soda. Wawa also sells its own branded iced tea, orange juice, and milk. Wawa used to sell its own branded soda but it has been discontinued. Wawa has Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountains.

Key products include its variety of coffee, latte, and cappuccino flavors and sizes, and made-to-order hoagies. Wawa also offers a brand of hot breakfast products, most famous of which is the "Sizzli", and also a full deli with touch-screen ordering of sandwiches, hot sides, drinks, and deli meats. Wawa sells alcohol in Florida, Virginia, and at select locations in Pennsylvania.[38][39][40]

For a short time between 1994 and 1996, Wawa sold Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas and Taco Bell burritos.[26]

In 2018, Wawa introduced a secret menu to celebrate its 54th anniversary.

In 2020, Wawa tested burgers, waffle fries, and chicken sandwiches at six locations.[41] Later in the same year, Wawa begin testing a dinner menu at select locations. The dinner menu includes items such as burgers, fries, pasta, and rotisserie chicken.[42]

Wawa footprint as of January 2021

Wawa operates stores in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Wawa's territory once stretched into Northern New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, but in the late 1990s, the decision was made to abandon the franchised stores in the New York metropolitan area and New England, as it was too competitive. The abandoned stores were re-branded when they were sold to Krauszer's (in Connecticut) and a variety of other convenience retailers, but most are still recognizable as they retain their distinctive "Wawa" design. The company continued to operate numerous stores in Central Jersey and South Jersey, and re-entered North Jersey in 2010, when Wawa opened a new store in Parsippany.[43] Wawa opened its 100th Super Wawa in New Jersey on October 12, 2012, in Woodbridge.[44] Wawa moved farther into North Jersey opening in Kearny on January 11, 2013, and Lodi on October 4, 2013. The company plans to open five Wawas a year in North Jersey for the next 10 to 12 years.[45]

On July 18, 2012, Wawa entered the Florida market when it opened its first location in Orlando.[46] It had expanded to more than 70 Florida locations by the end of 2015, with plans for 120 more by 2022.[47]

As of October 2020, Wawa has over 900 locations across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Florida.[2]

In some Jersey Shore towns, Wawa designs its stores to match the aesthetic, and changes operating procedures to adapt to shore culture. In Cape May, Wawa has a Victorian-themed store. In Wildwood, there is a 1950s-themed store.[48]

Wawa opened its largest location at the time in the Farragut Square area of Washington, D.C. on December 14, 2017.[49] On December 14, 2018, Wawa opened a flagship location at 6th Street and Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia. The store, at 11,500 square feet (1,070 m²), is the largest Wawa location and features a living greenery wall, large digital screens, couches, café seating, and two "Philly Firsts" murals.[50]

On December 18, 2020, Wawa opened its first drive-thru at a convenience store/gas station location in Westampton, New Jersey.[51] In September 2020, Wawa began construction on its first drive-thru only location in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; this location opened on January 8, 2021.[51][52]

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  An older Wawa in Sewell, New Jersey
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  A retro-styled Wawa in Wildwood, New Jersey
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  A Wawa in Orlando, Florida on opening day
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  The largest Wawa store, at 6th Street and Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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  Location in the Farragut Square neighborhood of downtown Washington, D.C.
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  Wawa Food Market in Williamsburg, Virginia across from College of William & Mary. This was the first location built on the Virginia Peninsula.[53]

On December 20, 2019, Wawa's CEO Chris Gheysens announced that the company had found malicious software on its payment processing servers that affected every location across the country, according to the statement.[54] The malware is believed to have been on the servers since as early as March 4, 2019, and contained on December 12, 2019.[55]

On December 27, 2019, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that at least six lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed against the company in federal court in Philadelphia.[56]

Wawa's expansion efforts have sometimes met with controversy from local communities. In Coral Gables, Florida, land which was planned to be used for affordable housing was instead approved as a new site for a Wawa gas station. This land abuts a school and threatened historic properties.[57] The Mount Laurel, New Jersey zoning board granted numerous exceptions to Wawa despite opposition from the neighbors and several board members.[58]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wawa.

• Official website (Mobile)
• Interview with Howard about his Career