A GROCERY chain is selling seven stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, despite its bold expansion plans for the coming years.
Wawa is getting rid of four locations that have already closed and three that are set to be closed.
Wawa is selling seven lots in New Jersey and Pennsylvania[/caption]
The collection of seven stores was first advertised to sellers back in May.
Shoppers have reacted poorly on social media and described Wawa as a “lifeline” for them.
On Reddit, one person wrote about one of the seven Wawas: “That place was a goddamn lifeline!
“Some of us just want a $7 hoagie and a $2 coffee so we can keep moving through our day without starving or going broke.”
Only one of the seven Wawa locations is in Pennsylvania, and the rest are in New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania lot is in Boothwyn and has already closed with an $800,000 asking price.
In New Jersey, a closed store in Levittown has a $500,000 asking price, a closed store in Pine Hill is going for $700,000, and another location that has closed in Abescon is going for $475,000.
Three vacant lots are also for sale in Trooper, Egg Harbor and Waretown.
Combined, the seven locations have an asking price of $4.125 million, and can be bought separately or collectively.
None of the locations have gas pumps, something that Wawa sees as an issue.
Wawa is continuing its expansion efforts and is shifting its focus towards stores with gas pumps.
EXPANSION PLANS
Wawa plans to open 1,800 new stores by 2030.
The chain is set to open new stores in Centre County, Mifflin County and Clinton County, Pennsylvania, per CBS affiliate WTAJ.
The first locations are set to open sometime in 2026, with more coming in the years ahead.
US braces for ‘45,000 store closures’
Some 45,000 bricks-and-mortar stores could close in the next five years, experts have warned.
Several major retailers have announced store closures or gone out of business altogether in recent years.
In 2023, chains such as Foot Locker announced plans to close up to 400 outlets by 2026.
While, other well-known retailers like Tuesday Morning and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Bed Bath & Beyond has closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores and is now an online-only retailer.
The most affected retailers have been clothing, consumer electronics, sporting goods, hobby, book, music, and home furnishing stores since the start of 2019.
UBS has predicted the total number of retail stores will drop by 45k from 958k to 913k.
Despite that, the report says that certain stores should thrive while others decline.
It said retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Target, could be among the winners.
Wawa projects that the new stores will employ a total of 350 people.
Recently, Wawa opened two new locations in New Jersey.
These opened in Old Bridge and Jackson during May, which pushed Wawa’s total store count to over 1,100 stores across the Northeast.
The Old Bridge store can be found next to other huge name retailers, including Target and ShopRite.
Both of these new stores feature gas stations, along with everything else shoppers expect from Wawa.
Wawa members get first dibs on a range of special offers at both of the stores, like coffee for a dollar and iced coffee for $2.
Only one of the seven Wawa locations is in Pennsylvania, and the rest are in New Jersey[/caption]
