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174-365-15 Wawa Convenience Store
The Wawa business began in 1803 as an iron foundry. In 1890, George Wood, a businessperson from New Jersey, moved to what would later become Delaware County, Pennsylvania; it was here that he began the Wawa Dairy Farm. Wood imported cows from the British island of Guernsey, and bought 1,000 acres of land in the Chester Heights area; the corporate headquarters would later be renamed Wawa. Since pasteurization was not yet available, many children faced sickness from consuming raw milk. Wood arranged for doctors to certify his milk was sanitary and safe for consumption, which convinced many consumers to buy the product. The strategy worked, and allowed the Wawa dairy to grow. Demand for dairy products grew rapidly during the 1920s, and so did the company. Wawa began using the slogan, "Buy Health by the Bottle," and served customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, delivering milk to customers' homes.
In the 1960s, however, consumers began buying milk in stores instead of using home delivery. Wawa started to open its own stores to adjust to these market changes. On April 16, 1964, Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Food Market at 1212 MacDade Boulevard in Folsom, Pennsylvania, which is still in operation today. The original Wawa store will be closing with the construction of a new gas station location nearby that is expected to open in spring 2016.
The Wawa Food Market stores were also part of a then-new trend in retailing, the convenience store. Open both earlier and later than traditional supermarkets, they carried other foods and beverages besides milk, as well as other items from the Wawa dairy. As of 2008, Wawa is the largest convenience store chain in Greater Philadelphia, and it is also the third largest retailer of food in Greater Philadelphia, after ACME Markets and ShopRite.
174-365-15 Wawa Convenience Store
The Wawa business began in 1803 as an iron foundry. In 1890, George Wood, a businessperson from New Jersey, moved to what would later become Delaware County, Pennsylvania; it was here that he began the Wawa Dairy Farm. Wood imported cows from the British island of Guernsey, and bought 1,000 acres of land in the Chester Heights area; the corporate headquarters would later be renamed Wawa. Since pasteurization was not yet available, many children faced sickness from consuming raw milk. Wood arranged for doctors to certify his milk was sanitary and safe for consumption, which convinced many consumers to buy the product. The strategy worked, and allowed the Wawa dairy to grow. Demand for dairy products grew rapidly during the 1920s, and so did the company. Wawa began using the slogan, "Buy Health by the Bottle," and served customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, delivering milk to customers' homes.
In the 1960s, however, consumers began buying milk in stores instead of using home delivery. Wawa started to open its own stores to adjust to these market changes. On April 16, 1964, Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Food Market at 1212 MacDade Boulevard in Folsom, Pennsylvania, which is still in operation today. The original Wawa store will be closing with the construction of a new gas station location nearby that is expected to open in spring 2016.
The Wawa Food Market stores were also part of a then-new trend in retailing, the convenience store. Open both earlier and later than traditional supermarkets, they carried other foods and beverages besides milk, as well as other items from the Wawa dairy. As of 2008, Wawa is the largest convenience store chain in Greater Philadelphia, and it is also the third largest retailer of food in Greater Philadelphia, after ACME Markets and ShopRite.