New Wawa opens this week by the second Target location coming to Bradenton
Wawa opens its sixth Bradenton area store 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7415 Manatee Ave. W.
Wawa plans to begin distributing “Goose Vibes Only” T-shirts for the first 100 customers when the doors open at 8 a.m. In addition, Wawa will provide free coffee to the community Thursday through Sunday.
The grand opening of the Bradenton location is the 29th this year out of the 48 total stores projected to open across Wawa’s operating area.
On the north side of Manatee Avenue, a new Target store is going into renovated space formerly occupied by Kmart. Target has not announced an opening date for the new Bradenton store.
Wawa opened its first Bradenton area store in 2014 at 701 First Street E.
“At Wawa, our core purpose is fulfilling lives every day and since our first store opened, we’ve believed that we all have a role in making this world a better place,” Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
During the grand opening, Wawa will announce the results of funds raised from its in-store customer fundraising campaign to support Hurricane Ian relief efforts and present a check to the American Red Cross.
Wawa will also recognize local first responders with its signature Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition. Local first responders from Bradenton Police Department and Bradenton Fire Department will compete to see who can build the most hoagies in three-minutes. Wawa will then present checks for $1,000 to each department’s charity of choice.
Known for its sandwiches and breakfast foods, Wawa first announced plans for the new store in 2018.
The new Wawa store is next to a site of a now-demolished Albertson’s supermarket. A Lucky’s market had been planned on the Albertson’s site, but Lucky’s pulled out of the deal after it lost Krogers as an investor.
