Coffee, gas and free Wi-FI

Owners of commercial real estate are increasingly looking to free Wi-Fi to give them a competitive edge.

WaWa, a convenience store retailer known for its fresh-to-order food, and Comcast have teamed up to outfit more than 700 Wawa stores in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia with access to free Wi-Fi.

As part of a new collaboration between the companies, Comcast Business’s Enterprise Solutions unit installed the managed public/private Wi-Fi network, along with managed broadband, and the team will support both services for Wawa going forward.

There is no charge to use the service.

As part of Wawa's continued focus on becoming a one-stop-shop for its customers' needs, the company said it has turned to technology to evolve the in-store experience. The company needed a fast, reliable Wi-Fi solution to enable a consistent experience for its mobile application, and getting online through Xfinity WiFi allows all Wawa patrons to take advantage of a free connection without having to rely on their cellular service.

“At Wawa we exist to fulfill customers lives every day, and part of this commitment means creating meaningful customer connection points that add the highest level of value and convenience,” Carol Jensen, chief marketing officer for Wawa, said in a statement.

Bill Stemper, president of Comcast Business, noted that as more businesses look to improve the customer experience at branch locations, reliable Wi-Fi has become a cornerstone for attracting and retaining customers.

To meet Wawa’s needs, Comcast Business’s Enterprise Solutions team designed and built an enterprise-grade Managed Wi-Fi and broadband solution that includes public Xfinity WiFi for Wawa customers and private access Wi-Fi for associates and vendors. The scope of the business services implementation includes Wawa locations in and out of Comcast's traditional service areas.