Shipt to begin Costco delivery service

Shipt, a delivery service headquartered in Birmingham, AL, announced late last month that it would start delivering Costco products to customers in Tampa, FL, with plans to expand Costco service to 50 markets by the end of the year. Shipt says it is already working with Whole Foods, H-E-B, Harris Teeter and Meijer.

For a $99 annual fee, Shipt customers will get unlimited Costco deliveries, and will have a one-hour window for when merchandise is dropped off. The company says it plans to deliver from stores, not from warehouses.  

Wawa opens sixth Florida store

Wawa opened its sixth Florida store late last month. The company began opening stores in Florida in July, and has plans for 25 more in 2013, with a total of 100 new stores in five years. The six operating stores are in Orlando and Kissimmee. Expansion to the Tampa area will begin next year.

Wawa has nearly 600 convenience stores - 300 of which offer gas - in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.

Wawa opens first Florida store

The first Wawa in the state of Florida opened last week in Orlando, and as many as 100 may open in the state over the next five years. For now, residents of Orlando can expect a new Wawa every week for the next five weeks.

A store in Tampa is slated to open next year, and Wawa expects 20 new Florida stores in 2013, then 25 stores each in 2014 and 2015.

For more on Wawa's expansion to Florida, see New prototype Wawa under development for Florida.

New prototype Wawa under development for Florida

Wawa CEO Howard Stoeckel said recently that the company's stores scheduled to open this year in Florida will resemble a restaurant that sells gas, rather than a convenience store, as we are accustomed to in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The new store prototype will be built around fast-casual food and convenience, and will feature an array of proprietary foods and a "barista-style" coffee department.

According to reports, the first Florida store will open in Orlando in July, and five more locations will follow in the Orlando market in the following months. Stores in Tampa are scheduled to open in early 2013. Overall, the company expects to operate about 100 stores in central Florida over the course of the next five years.