Citing safety concerns, Wawa, which calls Philadelphia, Pa., home, is closing two more stores in the city. The company has already closed or changed the hours of operation of several Philly stores.
The two stores in the heart of the city, located at 12th and Market and 19th and Market, will close permanently this fall. Both were already closing at midnight out of security concerns, having abandoned Wawa’s traditional open-24-hours-a-day store policy.
In a formal statement, Wawa said, “Despite reducing hours and investing in additional operational measures, continued safety and security challenges and business factors have made it increasingly difficult to remain open in these two locations.”
However, according to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Philadelphia Councilmember Mike Driscoll on Tuesday said a ‘senior’ Wawa representative told him the company was considering excluding Philadelphia from its expansion plans because of crime concerns. … During a forum hosted by the Philadelphia Real Estate Alliance, Driscoll said he met with Wawa representatives the day after a store in Mayfair, which is in his district, was ransacked by an estimated 100 juveniles.”
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The list of thefts and vandalism at the chain’s Philadelphia-based stores is already lengthy and growing.
Several teens were recently caught on video ransacking a Wawa on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia, causing about $10,000 in damage. Another Philadelphia Wawa now closes for an hour every day to avoid problems with local high school students.
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