Saturday, April 16, 2016

Wawa’s Success Food First Focus




Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® asked “What is a convenience fresh food retailer?” The answer is where consumers are migrating at and exceptional rate from traditional food retailers too grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food retail in short Wawa. 

Chris Gheysens CEO and President of Wawa in comments made while marking Wawa’s 52nd anniversary stated “foodservice and beverage account for more than 50 percent of Wawa's revenue.”

When your convenience store revenue evolves to the point that more than 50% of your revenue is derived from grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food your company has transitioned from a traditional convenience store operator to a grocerant retailer. 

Gheysens continued, "We still sell a tremendous amount of traditional convenience products, such as cigarettes, cold beverages and snacks," he said. "But a differential for our brand has been fresh food. In the last decade, we've been dedicated to quality and assortment, like you would find in a fast casual, or even a sit-down restaurant."

In the past Gheyens has called Wawa a “Fast Casual Restaurant To-Go”.  If a company wants to look like a restaurant it must act like one as well according to our Grocerant Guru®.  Now for the first time Wawa is hiring a food and beverage manager, and a food and beverage supervisor for each unit.   

The typical Wawa footprint measures between 4,500-5,000 square feet and with 700+ locations from New Jersey too Florida watch for Wawa to continue opening new units along the I 95 corridor.  To this point Wawa’s growth has been organic.  We are now wondering how long will it be before Wawa looks West, and looks for an acquisition to fuel new growth?  

Since 1991 retail food consultancy Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche for more on Foodservice Solutions® or for a Grocerant Scorecard visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/grocerant, www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  Email: Steve@FoodserviceSoltuions.us
 

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