‘Legacy’ Wawa closing after 51 years in business in this N.J. town

New Jersey’s massive number of Wawa stores is set to decrease in October 2024.

The convenience store chain plans to close one of its “legacy” stores in Cherry Hill at 1110 Route 70 East on Tuesday, Oct. 8 after 51 years in business.

The store, which is a small-format shop with no gas pumps or public restrooms, is located westbound on Route 70 near the Kingston neighborhood and the Barclay Towers condominiums.

Wawa originally had plans to replace the location with a Super Wawa in the Barclay Farms Shopping Center across the highway.

However, due to public outcry, the developer left the project in December 2022. Now, the chain has ultimately decided against opening a new spot and instead, closing the current location, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“While this was a very difficult decision to make, we have determined that this store cannot deliver the experience customers deserve or continue to meet performance expectations,” a Wawa spokesperson said in a statement.

Wawa normally opts to renovates or relocates older stores, but the company says it is unable to do so for the Route 70 location.

As one of the oldest Wawas in the state, the Route 70 shop opened in 1973, according to CBS News. It is known as a popular meeting spot and a place to shop for basic food items in the area.

When the Route 70 Wawa closes, there will be five remaining stores in Cherry Hill at 500 Route 38, 2428 Route 38, 904 Haddonfield Rd., 1824 Marlton Pike East, and 50 Haddonfield Rd.

The chain known for its hoagies and coffee operates almost 300 locations in New Jersey and more than 1,000 stores nationwide.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Victoria Rosenthal can be reached at vrosenthal@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.