Wawa
Two high profile brands, Whole Foods Market and Wawa ,will make up the proposed shopping plaza, University Station, coming to the southwest corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue.
Rezoing paperwork filed with Sarasota County shows that SJ Collins Enterprises, the Atlanta-based commercial developer behind the plaza, will build a 40,148-square-foot Whole Foods Market grocery store and an additional 10,000 square feet of in-line shops near Honore Avenue. A Wawa gas station will be positioned off University Parkway.
The new grocery store will likely open in 18 months to two years from now, Whole Foods officials said.
This is the second supermarket to open in the region by the upscale grocer, which has operated a busy and profitable supermarket on First Street in downtown Sarasota since 2004.
Wawa, A Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain, has been expanding aggressively throughout Florida. The company’s first Southwest Florida store opened at 701 First St. E., in Bradenton, in December with huge crowds. There are three proposed gas stations in Sarasota County.
Some nearby residents worry that having two well known brands, like Whole Foods and Wawa, which are known to have cult-like followings for their products, will generate even more traffic on the growing University Parkway commercial corridor. In February, SJ Collins agreed to provide a traffic analysis to determine what kind of traffic impact the proposed plaza would have on that area.
The plans for the shopping center, called University Station, will have three shared traffic access points: a right turn in/right turn out access from University Parkway, a right turn in/right turn out access from Honore Avenue and a traffic signal on Honore Avenue.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Cars swarmed the parking lot and pump station at the brand new Wawa near downtown Bradenton Thursday morning as the Pennsylvania-based chain made its debut in the Southwest Florida market.
The brand new store at 701 1st St. E., in Bradenton is the first Wawa gas station and convenience store to open in Manatee County, and south of St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast. Cars jammed underneath the red and white Wawa awning, waiting their turn to fill up at the pump for $2.25 per gallon for regular gasoline. Landscapers filled lawnmower gas tanks and others filled their cars and then a couple of separate gas canisters for later.
“I knew the gas was going to be crazy cheap!” shouted one Bradenton area resident as they filled up.
Diesel fuel sold for $3.09 a gallon and ethanol boat fuel sold for $3.29 a gallon on Thursday.
For Ken Degaetano, the opening of the new Wawa was sort of a homecoming.
Check out a photo gallery of the new Wawa here.
“I grew up in Philly, so I remember Wawa well,” Degaetano said while filling his car with gas and clutching a hot cup of coffee from inside. “I grew up eating Wawa hoagies. It’s great to have them here now.”
“The prices are definitely the cheapest I’ve seen around here in a while, which is awesome,” he added.
Just a few blocks south, the Racetrac gas station was selling gas for $2.41 a gallon for regular gasoline. The competitor’s station was busy, but not buzzing as much as the new Wawa.
Wawa staff wandered around inside the store with free samples – from coffee to hoagies to smoothies – as first time customers gathered at the cashier counters with goods in hand. The cigarette cashier was easily the longest check out line inside.
At 10 a.m. Wawa hosted a hoagie building contest, which pitted Manatee County area firefighters against local police officers. Each team was fighting for a trophy and Wawa made donations to charities of their choice.
The Suncoast Mummers String Band also performed as part of the lively grand opening celebration.
To celebrate their entrance into the market, Wawa is giving away coffee for free its first 10 days. Shoppers can also save when ordering the “Shortie,” a six-inch hoagie, which is priced at $2.99 for the store’s first 10 days.
James Wagner and friend Michael Doxie, both from Palmetto, happened to be in the area Thursday morning and decided to stop by.
“I’ve been to one in St. Pete and really liked it,” Wagner said while drinking coffee. “They’ve got decent food and cheap gas. What’s not to like?”
Doxie, a snowbird who spends half the year in Lake George, N.Y., wasn’t a newcomer to Wawa.
Take a video tour of the new Wawa in Bradenton >here.
“It seems like it’s going to be a busy station,” Doxie said. “I’ve been watching the Bradenton area grow for years now. This is a nice addition.”
Wawa has been expanding aggressively throughout Florida since they opened their first location in the state in July 2012. The chain has been opening 25 stores a year for the last two years in the Sunshine State and plans to expand into Sarasota, Daytona and Fort Myers next.
Two more stores in Manatee County, at 4455 State Road 64 and 5310 14th St. W., are expected to open around the middle of 2015.
The chain has submitted plans for three Sarasota stores, too, though it’s unclear if those will open next year.
Sarasota sites are proposed at the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and Myrtle Street, University Parkway at the southwest corner of Honore Avenue, and at Tamiami Trail and Englewood Road in Venice.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Southwest Florida’s first Wawa opened to the public on Thursday in Bradenton. More are on the way – the gas station and convenience store chain has plans to open two more in Manatee County next year, and three in Sarasota County in the near future.
Interested in being apart of the What’s in Store video series? Pitch your story ideas to Justine directly by emailing her here.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
The first Wawa south of St. Petersburg will open in Bradenton on Dec. 18.
The convenience store and gas station located at 701 1st Street E., in Bradenton, is the first of several planned stores to open in the region. A ribbon cutting is planned for 10 a.m. on Dec. 18.
In celebration of the grand opening, Wawa is giving away free coffee for the first 10 days.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa has been aggressively expanding throughout Florida. Executives previously said they wanted to open a dozen stores in the Orlando and Tampa markets. Three stores are in the works in Manatee County already.
“This significant step in our Florida expansion symbolizes our continued commitment to invest in the state and continue to fulfill customers’ lives every day, through our economic and community impact,” said Colleen Labik, spokeswoman for Wawa.
Wawa will host a “Finest vs. Bravest” hoagie building contest at the Bradenton store during the grand opening – where five officials from the local fire and police departments will compete to see who can build the most sandwiches in three minutes using the traditional Wawa method. Wawa will make $1,000 donation to the charity of the winner’s choice and another $1,000 donation to the second place winner’s charity.
The Suncoast Mummers String Band of Bradenton will perform on opening day, too. Wawa plans to donate to the Mummer’s scholarship fund.
Wawa is known for its cheap gas and restaurant-quality sandwich bar, fresh salads, breakfast bowls, signature coffees and smoothies, among other items not commonly seen at major convenience stores. The stores also carry traditional convenience store goods, including drinks, snacks and cigarettes.
The chain submitted site plans to build three Sarasota locations as well, which most recently includes a 6,119-square-foot gas station at the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and Myrtle Street. The convenience store and gas station company plans to build similar sized stores with 16 gas pumps on University Parkway at the southwest corner of Honore Avenue and another at Tamiami Trail and Englewood Road in Venice.
The chain has a cult-like following similar to the fans of Trader Joe’s and Costco Wholesale, which opened their first stores in Southwest Florida in 2012.
Photo by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain, plans to open three locations in Sarasota County.
The chain submitted site plans to build three Sarasota locations, which most recently includes a 6,119-square-foot gas station at the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and Myrtle Street. The convenience store and gas station company plans to build similar sized stores with 16 gas pumps on University Parkway at the southwest corner of Honore Avenue and another at Tamiami Trail and Englewood Road in Venice.
Wawa has been aggressively expanding throughout Florida. Executives previously said they wanted to open a dozen stores in the Orlando and Tampa markets. Three stores are in the works in Manatee County already.
The company filed applications with Sarasota County for the U.S. 301 station earlier this week, though plans are still in the preliminary stages. There is no scheduled opening date.
Wawa is known for its cheap gas and restaurant-quality sandwich bar, fresh salads, breakfast bowls, signature coffees and smoothies, among other items not commonly seen at major convenience stores. The stores also carry traditional convenience store goods, including drinks, snacks and cigarettes.
The chain has a cult-like following similar to the fans of Trader Joe’s and Costco Wholesale, which opened their first stores in Southwest Florida in 2012.
Wawa is a privately held company and its traces roots trace back to 1803. In all, the chain now operates more than 630 convenience stores across the country.
Photo by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesday
Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain, is scheduled to open its third store in Manatee County as the company continues to expand into Southwest Florida.
The chain has submitted a site plan to Manatee County that shows the chain will open a convenience store and gas station at 5310 14th St. W., at the intersection of State Road 70 and U.S. 41. The site currently houses a mobile home park, which will be demolished so a 6,119-square-foot Wawa can be built.
Wawa has two other Bradenton locations in the works. One gas station will open at 701 First Street E., with 20 gas pumps and just under 6,000- square-feet of building space. The Wawa is taking over the former space of a shopping guide site, which has been vacant for at least three years.
Last June, the Bradenton City Council approved plans for Wawa to build on the site of a former Eckerd Drugs store at 4455 State Road 64.
There are no plans for a Wawa in Sarasota County yet.
Wawa has been aggressively expanding throughout Florida, with plans to open a dozen stores in the Orlando and Tampa markets, beginning in 2012.
Wawa is known for its cheap gas and restaurant-quality sandwich bar, fresh salads, breakfast bowls, signature coffees and smoothies, among other items not commonly seen at major convenience stores. The stores still carry traditional convenience store goods too, such as drinks, snacks and cigarettes.
The chain has a cult-like following similar to the super fans behind Trader Joe’s and Costco Wholesale, which opened their first stores in Southwest Florida in 2012.
Photo by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.