Wawa has confirmed to The Triangle that it intends to close its 3300 Market Street location in the General Services Building on January 21.
In a statement on Saturday, senior media relations manager Lori Bruce said the store’s closure is an unfortunate business decision made after years of issues. The statement read:
“After careful consideration and extensive evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close our store located at 3300 Market Street in Philadelphia on Jan. 21. This location has served University City since 2018, and we are grateful for the support of the local community during that time.”
“Closing this location was purely a business decision and was based on a number of factors that we apply to all of our 1,100+ stores on an ongoing basis. As always, all associates from this store will be offered continued employment with Wawa at other locations. We will continue to serve the University City community from other nearby stores, including locations at 36th & Chestnut and 38th & Spruce.”
“Over the years, we have made several attempts to address business and operational challenges at this location,” the statement continued. “This includes partnering with property owner, Drexel University, in an attempt to address some of these issues, and most recently making investments in our store design to test a fully digital format. Unfortunately, this test did not adequately improve performance or deliver an enhanced customer experience, which ultimately led to the decision to close the store.”
Wawa removed shelving and access to most items in July 2023 after years of shoplifting issues. Reactions on campus were mixed, but acknowledged the problems.
“While we regret that we will no longer be able to serve customers at this specific location, our commitment to the greater Philadelphia region remains strong, and we hope to continue serving the University City community at our other nearby stores,” the statement concluded.
Drexel’s University Marketing & Communications confirmed that Wawa had informed them of the Jan. 21, closure, but did not provide additional comment.
The closure marks the 12th Philadelphia location to shutter in recent years due to safety and security concerns, and as the company looks to reduce unsatisfactory customer experiences. The brand has predominantly shifted to opening large-scale suburban stores with gas stations as it embarks on a nationwide expansion.
The company’s flagship Independence Mall store, which, after opening, beat out the Drexel location to become the largest Wawa anywhere, remains open.
This article has been updated to reflect comment from Drexel University.