Wawa Opens Second Store in Pinellas Park; Seventh in Tampa Bay Area

Wawa Opens Second Store in Pinellas Park; Seventh in Tampa Bay Area

Wawa Celebrates Store Opening with Charitable Hoagie Building Competition and

Support of The Vincent House

Tampa Florida, FL, (May 29, 2013) – Wawa Inc. today announced the grand opening of its second store in Pinellas Park, the seventh in the Greater Tampa Area!  To mark the occasion, Wawa will hold a grand opening celebration on Wednesday May 29, 2013 at 10AM at the new store located at 6200 N. 34^th Street, Pinellas Park, Florida. 

This past February, Wawa officially entered the Tampa Market, opening five stores in five weeks time.  The grand opening of its seventh Tampa Area store continues Wawa’s expansion throughout the sunshine state, as Wawa is set to open a total of 10 stores in the Tampa area and 15 total in the Orlando area by year’s end. 

During the grand opening event, Pinellas Park officials will be in attendance including Commissioner Charlie Justice, members of the All Children’s Hospital, the Vincent House, local heroes, and community members for a ribbon cutting ceremony, sampling of Wawa products and a charitable hoagie building competition featuring the Pinellas Park Fire Department Vs. the Pinellas Park Police Department.   During the event, Wawa will recognize the Vincent House with a grant to help fund the new Graphics Art Center, a part of their rehabilitation program and services. 

“Our launch into the Tampa Market was met with open arms by our customers, and we couldn’t be happier than to continue to provide more and more Tampa Area residents with the convenience and the community partnerships our customers have come to rely on us for,” said Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens.  “As we open our second store in Pinellas Park, we are thrilled to be able to provide support to a meaningful, local organization and further our commitment to be a good neighbor for every area we serve. ”

Grand Opening Event Details

On Wednesday May 29 at 10AM, the grand opening celebration will begin.  Wawa associates and local community officials, and community members will be present for the milestone occasion.  During the event, Wawa officials will discuss Wawa’s commitment to the community and expected local economic impact for the Central Florida Region.  A ceremonially ribbon will be conducted by Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens and Commissioner Charlie Justice, and Pinellas Park officials, marking the opening of the store to the public.  Wawa will then present a check to representatives from The Vincent House for $1,000.  Elliott Steele, Co-Founder of the Vincent House, will be on hand to accept the check and speak about the programs and services the Vincent House provides to the community.  The Vincent House has been serving the Pinellas Park community for ten years by providing rehabilitative and restorative skills to people to help them gain employment and begin to rebuild their lives.

Hoagies for Heroes Competition

The grand opening event concluded with a Hoagies for Hoagie building competition, as the Pinellas Park Fire and Pinellas Park Police Department faced off in a battle of bravery, skill and sandwich-making expertise.  Each team was 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 for $1,000 to the charities of each of the heroes’ choices. 

Central Florida Expansion Plans

In 2014, Wawa plans to open 25 stores in Central Florida, 14 in the Tampa Bay Area and 11 in Orlando. By the end of 2014, Wawa will have 56 stores in Florida, 32 Orlando and 24 in Tampa. Throughout the Orlando / Tampa markets, Wawa projects it will open 100 stores in the next five years.

The new stores will each employ more than 35 associates, all of which 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 be enrolled in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan.

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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, everyday stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATM's.   A chain of more than 595 convenience retail stores (300 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and beginning in 2012, Central Florida. The 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.