The state of New Jersey is home to the most Wawa locations in the United States, with a whopping 275 stores. That's 28% of all Wawa locations in the entire country! With nearly 9 million residents, that's one Wawa tent for every 32,584 people. For those who may not be familiar with Wawa, it's a convenience store that's well-known for its sandwiches and coffee. It also has gas pumps and a variety of other products.
In 1977, Wawa began sharing ownership of the company with its associates through profit-sharing plans. The Wood family, which owns Wawa, controls 293 hectares of land that includes the corporate headquarters, the Wawa dairy farm, and J. Wawa also offers a brand of hot breakfast products, including Sizzli, as well as a deli shop with touch screen orders for sandwiches, hot side dishes, cold cuts, and drinks. In April 2021, Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens announced an aggressive expansion plan to double the number of stores by 2030.
Currently, there are around 960 stores with plans to open around 100 a year. Wawa is based in Pennsylvania but has been making its way into northern parts of New Jersey since it started in South Jersey. It also operates stores in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D. C.
The name of the city of Wawa is derived from the Ojibwe word 'wewe' which means 'snow goose', despite the company's image of a Canadian goose.
