Dive Brief:
- Wawa plans to close its digital-focused location near Drexel University in Philadelphia on Jan. 21, the company said in a statement to local news outlet The Triangle.
- The store replaced its shelves with ordering kiosks in 2023. Customers had to place orders digitally through the app or at the kiosks, and then store workers would compile the items.
- The closure, which Wawa called “purely a business decision” in its statement to The Triangle, comes about two months after Wawa shuttered what appeared to be the last of its standalone drive-thru c-stores.
Dive Insight:
Wawa has been among the leaders when it comes to testing new c-store formats in recent years, though the company is clearly willing to scrap such designs if they don’t meet expectations.
“Over the years, we have made several attempts to address business and operational challenges at this location,” said the c-store chain’s statement to The Triangle. “This includes partnering with property owner, Drexel University, in an attempt to address some of these issues, and most recently making investments in our store design to test a fully digital format. Unfortunately, this test did not adequately improve performance or deliver an enhanced customer experience, which ultimately led to the decision to close the store.”
Wawa did not respond to a request for comment on the closing.
The company did not give a precise reason for converting the Drexel location to digital in 2023, only noting at the time that it was “testing new formats to provide the greatest level of convenience for our customers.” The conversion came after Wawa closed a number of stores in Philadelphia, citing high crime levels.
Wawa also did not give a reason for shuttering its standalone drive-thrus.
While these experiments have wound down, the company is not setting aside innovation. Its first travel center opened in Hope Mills, North Carolina, last August, and plans are underway for at least two more.
