- Wawa Unveils 1st Store Location, Renderings, and D.C. Expansion Plans
- Wawa Fans Visit Wawa D.C. Fan Celebration Area Outside of Newseum to Share in Festivities
Washington, D.C., 2017-Jun-17 — /EPR Retail News/ — Wawa Inc. today (June 13, 2017) announced its expansion into the Washington, D.C. market with its first store located at 1111 19th St., N.W. Washington, D.C., set to open in December. To introduce the company to the community before it officially opens its doors, Wawa hosted local developers, real estate teams and local officials at the Newseum for a Community Partnership Event, a networking and educational occasion meant to familiarize the community with Wawa’s offering, people, culture and expected economic and community impact.
During the event, Wawa’s leadership team met with officials and community members to share plans for upcoming expansion into the Washington, D.C., market over the next several years. While Wawa’s Community Partnership event was focused on the Real Estate partners and development community, Wawa fans were encouraged to visit the Wawa D.C. Fan Celebration Area outside the Newseum, which included a number of special elements for Wawa fans who had expressed excitement about Wawa’s entrance into the D.C. market. This included a meet-and-greet with Wawa mascots, Wally and Shorti; a selfie station complete with Wawa props; Wawa giveaways and a live-streaming of the invite-only Community Partnership presentation.
“We are thrilled to start expanding into the Washington, D.C., market and bring our urban store design to this incredible community,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s President and CEO. “While we currently have stores throughout Virginia and Maryland, we look forward to bringing our unique mix of quality and convenience to residents of our nation’s capital by providing a unique, restaurant-style location created specifically for the D.C. customer.
We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support from our D.C.-area fans who are already eagerly anticipating Wawa opening in their city, and we can’t wait to open our doors to our D.C. friends and neighbors for the first time this December.”
About Wawa’s D.C. Community Partnership Event
The invitation-only event included local officials, Wawa executives and key community members, who provided an overview of Wawa’s expansion plans. Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens, Wawa Sr. V.P. Chief Real Estate Officer Brian Schaller, and members of Wawa’s Real Estate and Store Operations’ teams provided a glimpse into Wawa’s lengthy history, unique offering, and an overview of expansion plans. Key event happenings included:
– Unveiling of Wawa’s Washington, D.C., store design and first location
– Announcement of plans for continued expansion in the market
– Market projections for the next 2-5 years
– Areas and D.C. neighborhoods being considered
“We couldn’t be more excited to begin our expansion throughout Washington, D.C., and provide our unique brand of appetizing convenience to so many new customers,” said Brian Schaller, Wawa’s Sr. VP and Chief Real Estate Officer. “By opening stores within the District, we will expand our brand awareness to the 600,000 residents and 700,000 daytime employees, including 200,000 millennials, who live and work in the District. In addition, we are extremely excited to serve the 21 million visitors who travel to Washington, D.C., each year, many of whom are already familiar with Wawa.”
About Wawa’s First Washington, D.C. Store
Wawa’s first Washington, D.C., store, located on 1111 19th St., will be Wawa’s largest store to date with 9,200 square feet. This one-of-a-kind store will feature the latest in Wawa’s offering with an upscale urban feel, indoor and outdoor seating, as well as an interactive digital experience all in the heart of the district. Highlights of the store will include floor-to-ceiling windows; exterior patio seating for customers; upscale, custom interior tables and bar seating, allowing customers to take a moment for themselves; large, interactive screens creating a social experience in-store; free Wifi for Wawa’s busy, on-the-go customers; and Wawa’s largest interior to date, offering Wawa’s signature foods and specialty beverages along with Wawa’s newest offers, including custom salads and nitro cold brew coffee.
Wawa’s Continued Expansion
Wawa plans to open 25 stores in the mid-Atlantic and 25 new stores in the Florida market each year for the next several years, including five to 10 stores in the Washington, D.C., market in the next two to three years. Each new
Wawa store will employ nearly 40 associates, with Wawa’s urban models employing close to 100 associates per store. All of these associate roles are new positions brought to the area through the development of the stores. Associates in these full- and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries and health benefits but will have the opportunity to receive educational assistance through tuition reimbursement and stock in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan. Wawa will also continue its ongoing expansion in the surrounding Counties in Maryland and Virginia to further our brand expansion.
About Wawa, Inc.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in
Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960’s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. In 2016 Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one
of America’s Best Large Employers, a survey-based ranking of employers offering the best associate experiences and strongest opportunities. In 2017 Wawa was the recipient of a Silver Plate Award in the category of Retail &
Specialty Foodservice by the International Foodservice Manufacturers’ Association during their 63rd Annual Award Event. Wawa was also designated as a 2017 Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. A chain of more than 750 stores, Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, freshly made Specialty Beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.
CONTACT:
public.relations@wawa.com
Source: Wawa Inc.