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A POPULAR convenience store has shut down after 50 years and fans aren’t happy.
A rival to 7-Eleven, Wawa in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, served its last cup of coffee on October 8.
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The 50-year-old store located on Route 70, in Cherry Hill was part of a dying breed of small convenience stores.
The company said the decision to close the store was made after an “extensive evaluation.”
In a statement, Wawa said: “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.
“Over the years, our product offerings and services have changed and whenever possible we expand, relocate or modernize our older stores to meet our current offer and standards rather than close them.
“We have considered options, but have determined it is just not feasible for us to do so here.”
The store did not have any public restrooms and didn’t sell gasoline.
Two smaller Wawa’s have recently closed, one in Mt Laural and one in Port Richmond.
Fans of the store took to Facebook to express their rage at the closure.
One person said: “I used to go there all the time all I had to do is walk and it was right there.
“It was great especially when I needed something for dinner when going to work.”
Another added: “The end of an era came when Wawa stopped selling the good items on their menu and started selling hamburgers and pizza.”
A third lamented the loss the of Wawa from Mt Laural, adding: “I’ve been lost since the Wawa in Mt Laural closed!
“I don’t understand why it closed.. It was jammed packed from early morning to after dinner?”
The first Wawa Food Market opened in 1964 in Pennsylvania, and according to the company, saw its first stores open in New Jersey and Delaware by 1969.
The Cherry Hill location first opened in 1973, ranking it among the oldest locations in the state.
RETAIL BLOODBATH
Several other retailers across the United States have undergone mass closures after bankruptcy filings this year.
Big Lots recently confirmed its Chapter 11 filing after weeks of speculation and detailed plans for around 545 store shutdowns.
LL Flooring will also close half of its over 400 locations after a quiet bankruptcy filing and revert to an old name under its new ownership.
Some clothing retailers also took similar actions.
Express filed for bankruptcy in April and confirmed nearly 100 locations would shutter for good.
Rue21 also submitted another bankruptcy filing after one in the early 2000s and confirmed it would shut down all of its remaining stores.
