Wawa Extends Commitment to Fulfilling Lives Every Day, Through Grand Opening of its Latest Bradenton Store

Wawa, Inc., today announced the grand opening of its brand new Bradenton store, located at 701 1st Street E. The celebration will include fanfare, a charitable hoagie building competition between members of the Bradenton Police Department and the Bradenton Fire Department, and free coffee for the first 10 days the store is open! The Grand Opening of this Bradenton store marks the 59th Wawa store to open in Florida. Throughout the year, Wawa opened new stores across its service area with the latest store design prototype to bring the Wawa experience to more people than ever before.

On Thursday, December 18, at 10:00a.m. the Grand Opening celebration will officially begin! The festivities will include Mayor Wayne Poston; local officials; members of the Bradenton Police Department and the Bradenton Fire Department; the Suncoast Mummers String Band; Wawa Director of Store Operations, Todd Souders; Wawa Area Manager, Peter Rasmussen; Wawa General Manager, Kristin Segermark; Wawa associates and customers; and Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose, who will all join together for a ceremonial ribbon cutting and ceremony celebrating the many ways Wawa seeks to fulfill lives every day.

“This was a big year for our company and as the year winds to a close, we cannot help but reflect on our incredible customers and communities that have made this a reality,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s president and CEO. “From our 50th Anniversary in retail, to the launch of our community foundation, to our 50th store opening in Florida, to the launch of our first-ever business book, we have been celebrating milestones left and right this year. But the one common denominator across every celebration is the incredible community members and Wawa faithful that continue to support us in everything that we do. We could not be more appreciative and we’re eager to continue to fulfill, not only your orders, but your lives for years to come!”

Hoagies for Heroes Competition

The grand opening event will conclude with a Hoagies for Heroes, charitable hoagie building competition, as the Bradenton Police Department and the Bradenton Fire Department face off in a battle of bravery, skill, and sandwich-making expertise. Each team will be challenged to see who can build the most hoagies in three minutes in the traditional Wawa way. Wawa will conclude the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by presenting checks on behalf of the winning and runner up teams, for $1,000 to the charities of their choice.

Kristin Segermark will serve as general manager of the store, leading a team of nearly 50 associates, all of which are new positions brought to the area through the development of the store. Associates in these full- and part-time positions will not only receive competitive salaries and health benefits, but will have the opportunity to be enrolled in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan. The new Wawa store will offer customers numerous Wawa brands, such as the award-winning Wawa coffee (195 million cups sold annually); the Sizzliä, Wawa’s hot breakfast sandwich; Wawa’s new line of specialty beverages (hot, cold, iced and frozen); Wawa Bakery; Wawa’s built-to-order hoagies (80 million sold annually); and Wawa’s beverage line of dairy products, juices, and teas.

“We are so excited to be continuing our year of celebration with our latest store in Bradenton, and we look forward to many more years of growth and success in this incredible community. Here’s to the next 50 years in Bradenton,” said Gheysens.

About Wawa’s Commitment to Fulfilling Lives

Wawa believes that it has a role in making the world a better place, and for Wawa associates, that doesn’t mean simply filling customer orders – but by fulfilling the lives that they touch every day. Beginning with its first store, Wawa has worked its way into the hearts, minds and fabric of people’s lives. Wawa does it around the clock. In 3 and ½ minute doses, everyday 24/7, 365 days a year. Wawa is so committed to this concept, it has made fulfilling customers’ lives its ultimate purpose and goal – every day. In 2014, Wawa will extend its commitment to fulfilling customers’ lives every day through several groundbreaking initiatives and announcements including: the launch of The Wawa Foundation to formalize and increase its support of charities and community programs; the celebration of its 50th anniversary in the convenience industry; the release of its first book authored by former President & CEO Howard Stoeckel entitled, The Wawa Way: How a funny name and six core values revolutionized convenience; and through the opening of 45 new Wawa stores dedicated to enhancing Wawa’s presence in our markets and bringing the Wawa experience to more people.

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 ATM’s. All of Wawa’s stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, built-to-order Specialty Beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. A chain of more than 675convenience retail stores (over 400 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and as of July of 2012, Central Florida. Wawa quickly became an integral part of the Central Florida Community, with over 30 stores throughout the Orlando and Tampa Markets, 100 stores in the pipeline for continued construction, the creation of close to 2,000 jobs, and the donation of more than $200,000 in financial grants. The winner of the 2013 Beautification Award for District 1 in Orlando, Wawa is proud to be recognized for its continued commitment to enhancing the Orlando community environment through litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and beautification. Wawa is also honored to be voted the Best Convenience Store in Orlando Sentinel 2014 Reader’s Choice Award.