Wawa (company) facts for kids
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A Wawa gas station in Skippack, Pennsylvania
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| Private | |
| Industry | |
| Founded | April 16, 1964 |
| Founder | Grahame Wood |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Number of locations
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1,032 (2023) |
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Area served
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Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. Planned: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina(opening May 16th), Ohio, Tennessee Former: New York and Connecticut |
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Key people
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Chris Gheysens (CEO) |
| Products |
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| Revenue |  US$13 billion (2020) |
| US$118 million (2011) |
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| Total assets | US$1.57 billion (2011) |
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Number of employees
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37,000 (2020) |
Wawa, Inc. (pronounced WAH-WAH) is a popular chain of convenience stores and gas stations. It started in the Philadelphia area. Now, you can find Wawa stores along the East Coast of the United States. They are in states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Alabama.
Wawa's main office is in the town of Wawa, Pennsylvania. This area is part of Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. Wawa is well-known in the greater Philadelphia area. It was once the biggest convenience store chain there.
Contents
Wawa's Story: How It All Began
The Wawa company started a long time ago, in 1803. Back then, it was a business that made things from iron. In 1890, a man named George Wood moved to Pennsylvania. He started the Wawa Dairy Farm.
George Wood brought special cows from an island called Guernsey. He bought a lot of land, about 1,000 acres, in the Chester Heights area. This is where the Wawa headquarters would later be. In those days, milk was not always safe to drink. Many children got sick from raw milk. George Wood had doctors check his milk to make sure it was clean. This helped people trust Wawa's milk.
The dairy business grew very fast in the 1920s. Wawa delivered milk right to people's homes. They used the slogan "Buy Health by the Bottle." They served customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
From Milk Delivery to Stores
In the 1960s, things changed. More and more people started buying milk from stores. Wawa decided to open its own stores to keep up. On April 16, 1964, George Wood's grandson, Grahame Wood, opened the first Wawa Food Market. It was in Folsom, Pennsylvania.
This first store stayed open until 2016. Then, a new, bigger Wawa opened nearby. The Wawa Food Markets were part of a new idea called "convenience stores." They opened earlier and closed later than regular supermarkets. They sold milk, other foods, drinks, and more.
Employees Own a Piece of Wawa
In 1977, Wawa started sharing its ownership with its employees. This was through plans that shared the company's profits. In 1992, Wawa made this official with its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This means employees get a share of the company's stock each year.
Because Wawa is a private company, its stock value is checked regularly. This makes sure the ESOP is fair. Today, Wawa employees own more than 40% of the company.
About the Wawa Company
What Does "Wawa" Mean?
The name "Wawa" comes from the place where the first milk plant was. The town's name, Wawa, comes from an old Native American word. It's an Ojibwe word, "we'we," which means "snow goose."
Even though the word means "snow goose," Wawa's logo shows a Canada goose flying. This image is well-known. A famous poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, even used the word "Wawa" in his poem "The Song of Hiawatha."
Who Leads Wawa?
The current CEO of Wawa is Chris Gheysens. He became CEO in 2013. Richard "Dick" Wood Jr. is the chairman of the company's board. Many members of the Wood family are still involved in the company.
Even though it's a family business, Wawa employees own about half of the company. This is a big part of what makes Wawa special.
Where Are Wawa Stores Located?
In 2015, Wawa was ranked among the largest private companies. It had total earnings of $9.68 billion. As of 2016, Wawa had over 22,000 employees. They worked in more than 720 stores. Over 450 of these stores also sold gasoline.
Wawa stores are mainly in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Wawa used to have stores in New York and Connecticut. But in the late 1990s, they decided to focus on other areas.
Wawa's Headquarters
Wawa's main office, called "Red Roof," is in the Wawa area of Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. About 300 employees work there. The town of Chester Heights gets most of its local tax money from Wawa employees.
Cool Things Wawa Does
Wawa offers ATMs where you don't pay extra fees. This started in 1996 with PNC Bank. In 2010, they had over 1 billion transactions with PNC.
In the 1990s, Wawa helped Irish students study for their MBAs in Philadelphia. These students helped run some Wawa stores.
In 1994, Wawa opened a special store in Philadelphia that only sold food. That same year, Wawa started opening "Super Wawa" stores. These are bigger stores with public restrooms and more parking. They added gas pumps to these stores in 1996.
In the 2000s, Wawa was one of the first stores to use touch-screen menus. You use these screens to order your food. This helps make orders more accurate and faster.
Wawa also uses social media to connect with its customers. By 2013, their Facebook page had almost 1.1 million likes!
In 2014, Wawa celebrated its 50th anniversary. They gave away free coffee to everyone. They also started a foundation to donate $50 million to help with health and hunger.
What Can You Buy at Wawa?
Wawa sells many things you find in convenience stores. These include chips, drinks, and snacks. They also have their own brand of iced tea, orange juice, and milk.
Some of Wawa's most popular items are its coffee and made-to-order hoagies. Hoagies are like long sandwiches. Wawa also sells hot breakfast items, like the "Sizzli." They have a deli where you can order sandwiches and hot sides using a touch-screen.
Wawa has tried new food items over the years. In 2020, they tested burgers, waffle fries, and chicken sandwiches. They also started testing a dinner menu with items like pasta and rotisserie chicken. In 2023, Wawa began selling pizza at dinner time in some stores. They plan to sell pizza at all locations soon.
The "Gobbler" is a very popular seasonal hoagie from Wawa. It's a Thanksgiving-themed sandwich that many people love.
Wawa's Reach: Where You Can Find Them
Wawa stores are in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Wawa used to be in northern New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. But they decided to focus on other areas. In 2010, Wawa started opening new stores in northern New Jersey again.
In 2012, Wawa opened its first store in Florida, in Orlando. By the end of 2015, they had more than 70 stores in Florida. As of October 2020, Wawa has over 900 locations.
Some Wawa stores have unique designs. In Cape May, New Jersey, there's a Victorian-themed store. In Wildwood, New Jersey, there's a 1950s-themed store.
Wawa opened its largest store in Washington, D.C., in 2017. In 2018, they opened an even bigger store in Philadelphia. This store is 11,500 square feet! It has a green wall, big digital screens, and comfy seating.
In 2020, Wawa opened its first drive-thru at a gas station. In 2021, they opened their first drive-thru only location.
Wawa is planning to open stores in new states. They will expand to North Carolina by 2024. They also plan to open stores in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio after 2024.
Wawa's Friendly Rivals
Wawa often competes with other convenience store chains. In Pennsylvania, a big rival is Sheetz. Both Wawa and Sheetz have similar business ideas. People in Pennsylvania often debate which one is better! Even though they are rivals, the companies have a friendly relationship.
Wawa and Sheetz usually don't have many stores in the same exact areas of Pennsylvania. But in Virginia, they both have stores in the Richmond and Northern Virginia areas. Wawa's plans to expand will bring more competition with Sheetz. Other competitors include Royal Farms in the Mid-Atlantic states.
Keeping Your Information Safe
In December 2019, Wawa found that its payment systems had a problem. Some bad software had affected customer payment cards. This issue was fixed quickly. Wawa worked to make sure customer information was safe.
In 2022, the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced an agreement with Wawa. This helped resolve the issue from the data problem.
Why People Love Wawa So Much
Wawa is very popular, especially in the Philadelphia area. Some people say it has a "cult following." This means people are extremely loyal and enthusiastic about it. People love Wawa because it focuses on good service. It also creates a feeling of community.
Wawa's CEO, Chris Gheysens, says this popularity comes from growing slowly and carefully. This allows Wawa to connect deeply with its customers.
Images for kids
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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.
See also
In Spanish: Wawa Food Market para niños
