Prepares to announce next convenience store expansion phase.
Wawa Inc. is set to celebrate the grand opening of its 100th store in Florida. During the milestone c-store celebration, Wawa will reveal its plans for the next phase in its Florida expansion, as well as present a grant from The Wawa Foundation to Feeding America Food Banks in the Florida markets served by Wawa stores and provide FREE coffee in all Wawa stores statewide.
The new Sunshine State location sits at 1728 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, FL 32765.
In July of 2012, Wawa launched in Orlando, Fla., with a goal to provide a whole new world of quality and convenience for Floridians. Just four years later, Wawa is celebrating its 100th store opening in Florida, significantly ahead of its initial timeline projection.
“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate this incredible milestone in Brandon as we continue to grow our brand across the Sunshine State,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s president and CEO. “We are honored to have become a part of so many wonderful communities, serve so many tremendous customers and work with so many dedicated associates. We can’t wait to see what the next few hundred stores bring as we to continue to fulfill customers’ lives every day across the state of Florida!”
Opening Event Details
On Friday, Nov. 4, at 10 a.m.., the grand opening celebration of Wawa’s newest Brandon store will begin. Representatives from Second Harvest Orlando and Feeding Tampa Bay; Hillsborough County police and firefighters; Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens; Wawa Chairman of the Board Dick Wood; Wawa Director of Operations Dave Prevost; state and local representatives; Wawa associates and customers; and Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose, will join in a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Other Highlights Include:
- A Hoagie Huddle to Fight Hunger where Wawa associates from the Tampa region build 1,000 hoagies for local community school feeding programs managed by Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation
- Wawa Director of Store Operations kicking off a Wawa Florida “Smilestone” Parade including visual images of Wawa Florida milestones and recognition of special Wawa customers
- Representatives from the Central Florida USO performing the National Anthem and Honor Guard from Brandon High School ROTC
- Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens and Chairman of the Board Dick Wood speaking about Wawa’s future Florida expansion, including stores, jobs and total investment; and providing an update on The Wawa Foundation’s Florida giving, including a new statewide commitment to fighting hunger across Florida and a $100,000 donation designated to support hunger-fighting initiatives throughout Wawa’s markets in Florida.
- FREE coffee all day on Nov. 4 in every Florida Wawa store to show appreciation to all customers.
Hoagies for Heroes Competition
The event will conclude with a charitable Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition, as representatives from the Hillsborough County Fire and Police departments 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.
Jeffrey Burnett will serve as general manager of the Brandon store, leading a team of nearly 40 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 once eligible, will participate in Wawa’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Wawa Associates own more than 41% of Wawa through the ESOP.
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.
