Wawa has its company headquarters in Wawa, Pennsylvania, and employs over 23,000 people in more than 670 convenience stores in a six-state area including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The corporation is privately held with 43% owned by Wawa Associates through an employee stock ownership plan.

 

Wawa was founded in 1803 in New Jersey, and incorporated in 1865 as the Millville Manufacturing Company, a textile company with mills in several states and sales offices across the country. The company transitioned from an iron foundry, to textile mills, to dairy processing, to the current convenience store retailing, where Wawa built some of its first stores in Millville, and where the founding Wood family has had roots for more than eight generations.  

 

“Wawa” is a native American word for the Canada goose that was found in the Delaware Valley, thus the use of the Canada goose on Wawa’s corporate logo.

 

Most Wawa stores are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It serves more than 400 million customers annually, brews over 195 million cups of award-winning coffee each year, and builds more than 80 million built-to-order hoagies per year. 

 

This year, Wawa has started an aggressive renovation program to remodel its existing stores throughout the chain with new designs to invigorate the environment.  It is investing in new product innovations as well such as Coca-Cola Freestyle in all stores by Memorial Day.  Its remodel program will reach the Millville/Vineland area in 2016.  These are significant remodels that completely transform the interior of the store adding a new kitchen design, new graphics, and food service area.

 

Future plans for growth include plans to open 50 stores in 2015, including 25 in the State of Florida and 25 in the mid-Atlantic market (five states) including New Jersey.

 

In 2015, Wawa launched the Wawa Foundation to encompass all of its charitable giving, with the goal to donate $50 million by 2018 to causes related to health, hunger and everyday heroes. Wawa’s connections to the community include financial grants, in-kind donations, and of course, the Wawa volunteers who lend a hand at community events.  

 

This year, Wawa national charity partners include:  the local food banks, the American Red Cross, JDRF, the USO, Children’s Miracle Network and Special Olympics.  Wawa is among the largest supporters of these charities in our region.