Royal Farms vs. Wawa Showdown Begins

RIDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Royal Farms held a grand opening for its first Delaware County convenience store on Jan. 30, reported the Delaware County Daily Times. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at 105 Stewart Ave.

This officially kicks off its rivalry with Wawa Inc., as the new store is the first of two in the area that will directly compete with Wawa, whose headquarters is located in Delaware County, as CSNews Online previously reported.

 "We chose this site because of its proximity to Interstate 95 and because it is a natural bridge to our Delaware market," said Royal Farms Marketing Manager Ed Stronski. "And we're right across the road from the Boeing plant with hundreds of employees."

A second Delaware County store is expected to open by the end of 2015 in Upper Chichester.

Despite Wawa's strong base in the area, Royal Farms is ready to compete.

"Every market we move into, we have had competition," Stronski said. "And it's not just from other convenience stores. It's from grocery stores and fast-food restaurants."

Royal Farms President John Kemp attended the grand-opening event and presented donations to local charities, including the Delco Literacy Council, Ridley Township Municipal Library, Delaware County Catholic Social Services, Friends of the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, Community Action Agency, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and PathWays PA.

The new store employs approximately 80 workers and offers made-to-order food, including Royal Farms' "World Famous" fried chicken. The store also uses energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies that help to reduce water and electricity consumption, according to the report.

Baltimore, Md.-based Royal Farms operates more than 160 convenience stores in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania.