Trouble with panhandling, crime, and drug use has led to a Wawa store closing at Headhouse Square, 2^nd and Lombard, writes Mike Newall for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The store will close July 16.

It is the sixth Center City Wawa to close since 2020.

“While closing a store is always a difficult decision to make, Wawa constantly conducts careful and extensive evaluations of business performance and operational challenges of all stores on an ongoing basis,” said Wawa spokesperson Lori Bruce Friday.

Joe Dain, co-founder of the Delancey Square Town Watch, said his group and other neighborhood organizations met with Wawa officials in April about concerns at the Headhouse Square Wawa.

Wawa tried to curtail the activity by reducing hours, hiring private security, and working with city police.

Wawa notified the group it decided to close the location, he said.

In October, Wawa announced it was closing stores at 12th and Market Streets. A store at 19th and Market Street is being converted to a Wawa training center for tech workers.

Wawas at 13th and Chestnut, Ninth and South, and Broad and Walnut have also closed in recent years.

Meanwhile, the company recently renovated its 17^th and Arch location.

Read more about this latest Wawa store closing in The Philadelphia Inquirer.