Wawa to Open 700th Store in Company History

BRADENTON, Fla. — Wawa Inc. will celebrate a major milestone when it opens its 700th convenience store on Thursday. A grand opening begins at the store, located at 5306 14th St. in Bradenton, at 8 a.m, reported the Bradenton Herald.

"We are thrilled to bring the Wawa experience to the residents with the opening of our second store in Bradenton, and we look forward to demonstrating our commitment to fulfilling lives with our fresh food and beverages and with meaningful connections with our new friends and neighbors," stated Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens. "And we are delighted to mark the milestone of our 700th store chainwide with the Bradenton community."

The grand-opening event will include entertainment by the local Southeast High School Band and festivities based on the theme of 700, including 700 free samples, 700 T-shirts given away, and a prize for the 700th customer.

Members of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and Cedar Hammock Fire Control District will compete in a charitable hoagie-building competition.

To celebrate the milestone opening through the rest of this month, Wawa will offer free coffee through Aug. 30 at the new Bradenton store. Other grand-opening specials include any size fountain drink for 59 cents and any Shorti hoagie for $2.99.

Pennsylvania-based Wawa operates convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.