Also happening during Wawa’s 20th year in Virginia, three new stores will be opening this fall, with locations in Richmond, Ashland and Chesterfield with community and customer celebrations. The first store, located at 3100 N Boulevard in Richmond, is scheduled to open in October with a Taste of Wawa preview and celebration on Oct. 17, followed by a grand opening celebration on Oct. 18. The other two stores, located at 610 England Street in Ashland and 16000 Otterdale Station Way in Chesterfield, will open later this fall. Other programs including special customer promotions and associate celebrations planned to mark the milestone year.

“At Wawa, we were founded in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and we are honored to serve another great Commonwealth for the past 20 years here in Virginia,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa CEO. “Over the past two decades, we have made connections with millions of Wawa customers and connected with hundreds of new communities and local partners. All of us at Wawa thank every one of our customers in Virginia for your support and for allowing us to fulfill lives across the Commonwealth after all these years. We look forward to expanding further into Virginia over the next few years and can’t wait to see where we are another 20 years from now!”

For more information on The Wawa Foundation Virginia Hero Awards and eligibility requirements, criteria and submission process, please visit www.TheWawaFoundation.org.

About Wawa In Virginia
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 its dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 800 convenience retail stores (almost 600 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and DC.

In 1998, Wawa opened its first Virginia store, with a goal to provide a whole new world of quality and convenience for Virginians. Now, 20 years later, Wawa has 85 stores in the market and employs 2,900 associates across the Commonwealth. With the opening of three stores in the Central Virginia market before the end of 2018, Wawa plans to continue to invest in Virginia communities for years to come.

Wawa stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. In 2015, Wawa was named “America’s Most Beloved Convenience Store” by a Market Force study of 7,000 consumers, and in 2018 Wawa ranked #1 in the sandwich category of a Market Force study, making history as the first convenience to earn that honor. 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.  In 2016 and 2017 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. A chain of more than 800 fuel and convenience retail stores (600+ offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, D.C. and Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as award winning built-to-order sandwiches and hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, built-to-order Specialty Beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.

Media:
Colleen Labik
public.relations@wawa.com