Wawa shuttering two Philadelphia stores amid city's retail crime surge

A regional convenience store operator is closing two sites in the heart of Philadelphia's business district amid an uptick in retail crime. The stores are located on 12th and 19th and Market Streets in the Center City area.

"Despite reducing hours and investing in additional operational measures, continued safety and security challenges and business factors have made it increasingly difficult to remain open in these two locations," the company said in a statement on Thursday. "All associates from these two stores will be offered continued employment at Wawa." 

Wawa, which currently has 40 stores in Philadelphia, did not disclose a timeline for the closures.

The announcement comes amid surging crime in several major U.S. cities. Last month McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski argued crime in Chicago has made it difficult for companies to operate or find employees in the Windy City.

Rite Aid’s chief retail officer Andre Persaud said it is just about impossible to stop stealing in New York City shops. The drug store chain is considering a plan to place all store items in showcases due to theft in New York City.

TYSON FOODS LATEST LARGE BUSINESS TO FLEE CHICAGO, WHAT SPARKED THE EXODUS?

In Philadelphia, the police department's latest crime report covering the week ending Oct. 9 shows commercial burglaries and retail theft are up 47.92% and 54.34%, respectively, year to date. 

On Thursday morning, five suspects entered a Wawa in the 3400 block of Chestnut Street near the University of Pennsylvania, around 1 a.m. and stole $100 in merchandise, according to Fox 29. During the robbery, one of the Wawa employees was pepper sprayed. In addition, a Philadelphia Wawa store was ransacked by a group of 100 juveniles in September. 

RITE AID EXEC: IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP NYC STORE THEFTS

Wawa emphasized the store closures do not diminish the company's ongoing commitment to serve the Philadelphia community. The Pennsylvania-based chain said it would continue to monitor and work with local authorities to address challenges impacting operations at its other stores.   

"It is our hope to repurpose these two locations to further benefit Philadelphia. To that end, we have initiated a review of options and are exploring possibilities with our partners, the community and local officials," the company added. "We are very sorry we can’t be there for our friends and neighbors at these two locations, but we continue to serve the community from our other nearby stores and our commitment to the greater region remains strong. Philadelphia is our hometown and that’s something that will never change."

Despite the commitment, Democratic city councilman Mike Driscoll, who represents Northeast Philadelphia, recently suggested Wawa is considering halting its expansion plans in the city due to the crime situation. 

PHILADELPHIA CHAIN WAWA ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING’ HALTING EXPANSION AFTER VIRAL RIOT VIDEO: COUNCILMAN

A City Hall spokesperson told FOX Business that city officials has been talking with Wawa leadership about the challenges facing the company and will continue to support Wawa and its broader business community. 

"The City's Department of Commerce, along with our economic development partners, are working to ensure the city attracts more businesses, not just in Center City but throughout all of our neighborhoods," the spokesperson added. "These businesses provide critical goods and services while offering jobs for Philadelphians. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, thriving neighborhood commercial corridors are central to keeping Philadelphia economically competitive."

Philadelphia's Department of Commerce engaged with 147 international companies in 2021 alone, according to the city. 

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Wawa operates more than 950 convenience retail stores. In addition to Pennsylvania, the company's stores are located in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

The company is headquartered in Wawa, Pa.