Mainstreet Daily News
Wawa, Inc. today announced the opening of its first store in Gainesville, located at 2373 SW Archer Road.
Wawa’s newest store, its first in Alachua County, will provide customers with access to necessary supplies, fuel and support during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
“At Wawa, our core purpose is to go beyond filling orders to fulfill lives, every day, and that has never been stronger than now as our nearly 900 stores unite together to provide support in the form of food, fuel, food donations, funds and the one-of-a-kind Wawa experience that delivers care and hope no matter the circumstances,” said Chris Gheysens, President & CEO, Wawa. “We look forward to spreading our wings to this new market, introducing our first store to Gainesville, with plans to open additional stores by year end.”
Alachua County Expansion
Wawa continues to expand throughout the Sunshine State. In the Gainesville and Alachua County market, three other stores currently under construction at 10th and University, 13th & 23rd Streets and 1614 West University Avenue (Formerly UF Bookstore) are expected to open by the end of the year, and a fifth location is now planned for the future to be located at Archer & 43rd Street in the Celebration project.
Wawa continues to open stores in Florida and recently reached the milestone of its 200th store in the state.
On Wednesday, June 17, the new store opened to the public at 8:00 a.m. with an official ribbon cutting outside of the store with associates standing 6 feet apart to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The store will employ approximately 40 associates and provide with competitive pay, benefits and an opportunity to stock through the company’s ESOP (Employee-Stock-Ownership-Plan) after completing one year of service. Led by Wawa General Manager, Terry Savickas and Area Manager Angela Reynolds, the team is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment while working to meet the needs of customers.
Wawa’s Virtual Grand Opening:
The company will mark this official milestone by showcasing its community support through a virtual video experience shared through social media on opening day and available HERE
- Wawa launching its Lending a Helping Hoagie initiative which will donate $1,000 from the new store’s first week of sales to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank to relieve hunger, demonstrating its commitment to serving others.
- In recognition of Healthcare Heroes, The Wawa Foundation presents the Local Hero Award with a $1,000 contribution to UF Health Shands Hospital to express our gratitude to their commitment during COVID-19.
- Wawa acknowledging local community first responders from Gainesville Police Department and Gainesville Fire Department with “Hoagies for Heroes,” lunch and $1,000 donated to each organization’s preferred charity.
- Invitation from USO local representative to support military and families by making a donation at any
Wawa Store from June 1, 2020 – July 19, 2020.
- First-ever social distancing ribbon cutting with store associates standing 6 feet apart in front of the new store to signify the official start of serving the community.
Customers are encouraged to watch the opening day video posted today on Facebook and are invited to share what they’re most excited about for a chance to win limited-edition Wawa Gainesville T-shirts.