Wawa is Closing Its Third Philadelphia Store This Year

This weekend, Wawa will close its third store this year in Center City Philadelphia and its ninth Philly store in less than 5 years.

Another Philly Wawa Store Closing

The Wawa store at 16th and Ranstead in Center City Philadelphia has a sign on the door apologizing to customers for closing this Sunday, just five years after the store's opening.

Many people assume the closing is tied to theft at the location.

The Philadelphia Inquirer points to data from 2022 that shows this store had the highest rates of theft of any in the city at that time.

Wawa 's press statement on Thursday didn't mention a theft problem, though.

"Our 16th and Ranstead store initially opened in 2020 as a pilot test of a smaller urban store concept which also included a walk-up window.

However, due to it's limited size, we have determined that we are not able to provide  the same kind of in-store experience and full Wawa that customers expect."

 

Nine Philly Wawa Stores Have Closed Since 2020

Isn't it ironic that the powerhouse convenience chain that is taking the East Coast by storm is closing so many locations in its home market?

Whether the reason is theft, experimental stores that  didn't work out as expected or too many stores in close proximity to each other, one thing seems certain.

Wawa has a game plan for success and if a store or group of stores aren't working to their satisfaction, they will make changes.

By the way, Wawa says every employee at the 16th Street store has been offered a job at other nearby Wawa stores.