Wawa and the Philadelphia 76ers have tipped off a new multi-year partnership, officially designating the convenience store giant as the “Official Hoagie and Breakfast Sandwich of the Philadelphia 76ers” ahead of the team’s upcoming season opener.
The partnership was unveiled Friday during a high-energy pep rally at Wawa’s stadium store on Penrose Avenue in South Philadelphia. The celebration featured a ceremonial hoagie build, community hunger-relief donations, and the debut of custom 76ers-branded Wawa hoagie wrapping paper.
The event commenced with the Philadelphia 76ers T-Shirt Toss Tour Bus arriving at the Penrose Avenue location fully wrapped in custom 76ers-themed Wawa hoagie paper. Team representatives and staff launched limited-edition t-shirts to gathering fans and customers outside the store.
Inside, leadership from both organizations joined mascots Wally Goose and Franklin the Dog to assemble the first official 76ers-branded hoagie, highlighting the new co-branded packaging that will be rolled out across regional Wawa stores this season.
“We are thrilled to team up with an iconic Philadelphia brand like Wawa as we prepare for another exciting season,” Kathryn Alario, senior vice president of Partnerships Activation for the Philadelphia 76ers, said. “Bringing together two staples of the Philadelphia community allows us to connect with our fan base in a fun, authentic way both inside the arena and across local neighborhood stores.”
Executive leadership in attendance from Wawa included Chief Operations Officer Justin Tichy, Director of Store Operations Kim Rodriguez, Area Manager John Kiernan, and Store General Manager Josue Pagan.
In alignment with the sponsorship launch, Wawa and the 76ers presented a donation check to Philabundance, the region’s largest hunger-relief organization. The gift reinforces both organizations’ commitment to addressing food insecurity across the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey communities.
Samee Kirk, director of Foundation Relations and Strategic Initiatives at Philabundance, accepted the donation alongside community members and retail partners.
The partnership will include joint marketing campaigns, in-store promotions, and fan engagement activations throughout the 2026–2027 NBA season.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey and opened its first convenience store in Folsom, Pennsylvania, in 1964. Today, Wawa operates a chain of more than 1,000 convenience retail stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., offering fresh foods, beverages, and fuel services.
