September 29, 2021
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The Wawa at Ninth and South streets reportedly will close for good on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The 24-hour Bella Vista convenience store has been in operation for a little more than two years.
Wawa is closing its store at Ninth and South streets on Oct. 17, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and "changing consumer trends."
That location opened a little more than two years ago. News of the closure was first reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
A spokesperson for the Delaware County-based convenience store chain told the Business Journal all of the employees at the store would be transferred to other locations.
"While this location will close, it in no way impacts our continued commitment to the local Philadelphia community," a Wawa official said in a statement. "Philadelphia is our home town and that will never change."
Center City has been part of Wawa's aggressive expansion plans in the region in recent years, beginning with the opening of the store at Broad and Walnut streets in September 2015. That store closed in 2020, after a five-year run, with the company stating the location was "no longer viable" and citing "the challenges of COVID-19."
Not counting its soon-to-be closed convenience store on the east side of South Street, there are 10 other Wawas scattered across Center City.
In January, Wawa opened Pennsylvania's first drive-thru location in Bucks County, which was inspired by a similar store in South Jersey. More recently, the company opened its first and only Philly location that will sell beer, located at the base of the Platt Bridge.
