A BELOVED convenience store chain with over 1,100 US spots is slightly cutting down on its store count, shuttering two locations in the same state.
Wawa has unveiled its plans to shut down two stores in the northeast as it works to axe older locations without gas pumps.
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A Worker Adjustment and Retraining, or WARN, notice emphasized that the two locations would be closed down due to failed efforts to alter the store design and meet consumer needs.
“Every year, we evaluate our stores across our chain including performance, conditions, operational challenges, or the possibility to modernize them,” Miriam Enriquez, Wawa’s director of government relations and corporate social responsibility, wrote in the WARN letter.
“At times, we must make the difficult decision to close some of them.”
As a result, two Wawa locations in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will close their doors later this month as the chain focuses on phasing out smaller, older locations.
The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain will shutter the stores in the Mayfair and Castor neighborhoods by the end of this month.
The Wawa at 6505 Frankford Avenue in Mayfair will shut down on April 22 while the location at 6919 Castor Avenue in Oxford Circle will close on April 24.
It’s not all bad news for Wawa fans – they can score free coffee before the locations shutter.
The two Wawas intend to offer free coffee at the Frankford Avenue and Castor Avenue stores on April 21 and April 23, respectively, before they shut down for good, the chain shared in its filing.
STORES STREAMLINED
The two Wawa spots closing in Philadelphia are under two miles from one another.
As the convenience store spots get the axe, shoppers can turn to two nearby Wawa stores with gas pumps located at 7001 Roosevelt Boulevard and 6400 Bustleton Avenue.
Wawa has shuttered many locations over the years, including a handful of older-format stores.
For example, the convenience store chain closed the 45-year-old location at 3230 Richmond Street in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, last July.
Outside of Philadelphia, Wawa shut down the location in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in October after a 51 year run.
Most recently, Wawa shut the doors of its 36-year-old store at 668 Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, New Jersey, in late February.
Wawa Locations By State
Wawa has over 1,000 convenience stores and gas stations spread across at least 10 states and will soon expand several others by 2025.
- Alabama
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
- Washington, DC
LOOKING AHEAD
Although the convenience store chain has closed a handful of locations, it still operates roughly 1,100 stores across the US.
Wawa also has expansion plans underway as it works to grow its store footprint.
The chain announced plans to invest $1.2 billion to open stores in new markets, including Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
The goal is to establish 160 stores across these three states over the next few years beginning this summer.
US braces for ‘45,000 store closures’
Some 45,000 bricks-and-mortar stores could close in the next five years, experts have warned.
Several major retailers have announced store closures or gone out of business altogether in recent years.
In 2023, chains such as Foot Locker announced plans to close up to 400 outlets by 2026.
While, other well-known retailers like Tuesday Morning and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Bed Bath & Beyond has closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores and is now an online-only retailer.
The most affected retailers have been clothing, consumer electronics, sporting goods, hobby, book, music, and home furnishing stores since the start of 2019.
UBS has predicted the total number of retail stores will drop by 45k from 958k to 913k.
Despite that, the report says that certain stores should thrive while others decline.
It said retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Target, could be among the winners.
Each store will cost approximately $7.5 million and create about 35 jobs.
Wawa plans to open roughly 70 locations this year and reach 1,800 stores by 2030.
Other retailers have outlined their expansion strategies for 2025.
For example, a popular grocery chain that’s “more convenient than Costco” is set to open another 15 locations – and 600 renovations are on the way.
Meanwhile, a beloved grocery store chain that’s “cheaper than Publix” will open over 225 locations in 2025.
