Wawa Opens first Gainesville Location

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: public.relations@wawa.com Wawa Enters New Market in Florida with First Store in Gainesville Geared to Providing Community with Essential Resources, Employment Opportunities and Appreciation Virtual Store Tour Video Shows Enhanced Safety Measures, Community Support, and Salute to Everyday Heroes Gainesville Florida (Wednesday, June 17) – Wawa, Inc. today announced the store opening of its newest store, located at 2373 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608. Wawa’s newest store, its 1st store in Alachua County, will provide customers with access to necessary supplies, fuel and support during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. “At Wawa, our core purpose is to go beyond filling orders to fulfill lives, every day, and that has never been stronger than now as our nearly 900 stores unite together to provide support in the form of food, fuel, food donations, funds and the one-of-a-kind Wawa experience that delivers care and hope no matter the circumstances,” said Chris Gheysens, President & CEO, Wawa. “We look forward to spreading our wings to this new market, introducing our first store to Gainesville, with plans to open additional stores by year end.” About Wawa’s Florida Expansion Wawa continues to expand throughout the Sunshine State. In the Gainesville and Alachua County market, three other stores currently under construction at 10th and University, 13th & 23rd Streets and 1614 West University Avenue (Formerly UF Bookstore) are expected to open by the end of the year, and a fifth location is now planned for the future to be located at Archer & 43rd Street in the Celebration project. Wawa continues to open stores in Florida and recently reached the milestone of its 200th store in the state. About Opening Day On Wednesday, June 17, the new store will open to the public at 8:00 a.m. with an official ribbon cutting outside of the store with associates standing 6 feet apart to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The store will employ approximately (40) associates and provide with competitive pay, benefits and an opportunity to stock through the company’s ESOP (Employee-Stock-Ownership-Plan) after completing one year of service. Led by Wawa General Manager, Terry Savickas and Area Manager Angela Reynolds, the team is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment while working to meet the needs of customers. About Wawa’s Virtual Grand Opening: The company will mark this official milestone by showcasing its community support through a virtual video experience shared through social media on opening day. B-roll video highlights will be available for download including: store footage, safety measures, interviews and ribbon cutting. • Wawa launching its Lending a Helping Hoagie initiative which will donate $1,000 from the new store’s first week of sales to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank to relieve hunger, demonstrating its commitment to serving others. • In recognition of Healthcare Heroes, The Wawa Foundation presents the Local Hero Award with a $1,000 contribution to Shands Hospital to express our gratitude to their commitment during COVID-19. • Wawa acknowledging local community first responders from Gainesville Police Department and Gainesville Fire Department with “Hoagies for Heroes,” lunch and $1,000 donated to each organization’s preferred charity. • Invitation from USO local representative to support military and families by making a donation at any Wawa Store from June 1, 2020 – July 19, 2020. • First-ever social distancing ribbon cutting with store associates standing 6 feet apart in front of the new store to signify the official start of serving the community. Customers are encouraged to watch the opening day video posted today on Facebook and are invited to share what they’re most excited about for a chance to win limited-edition Wawa Gainesville T-shirts. About Wawa, Inc. Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs. Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The stores offer a large fresh foodservice selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, specialty beverages and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. About Wawa’s Commitment to Safety Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Wawa stayed focused on serving as an essential provider as safely as possible. During that time, Wawa made several key changes to ensure it has the safest, most convenient store environment. The changes include launch of The Wawa Clean Force, a dedicated and trained sanitizing swat team working at each store every day with one job: keeping Wawa stores clean, sanitized and safe. Additional protections and policies include masks and gloves for all associates; clear plastic safety guards at check out and food-service counters; even more frequent hand washing standards; and wellness temperature checks for associates before each shift. For customers, social distancing with friendly visual markers and more hand-sanitizer stations have been added in common areas. In 2018, Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one of The Best Employers for New Grads and one of The Best Employers for Women, and as the Top-Rated Workplace for Veterans by Indeed. In 2019, Wawa was designated by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity.