Wawa: Supply Change Management Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Wawa was founded in 1803 and incorporated in 1865 as a manufacturer of textile products. In early 1900, the company opened a dairy, in 1964, the first store Wawa Food Markets »was established as an outlet for dairy products. By mid-2007, Wawa, headquartered outside Philadelphia, has grown into a chain of 564 convenience stores (200 of which sold gasoline) in a 250-mile radius. Private company, Wawa employs over 16,000 people. Sales in 2006 were $ 4.673 billion, an increase of 19.6 percent compared to the previous year. Wawa was widely admired as a very effective and humane organization and constantly expanding body of clients. This case addresses Wawa supply chain management (SCM) in the context of the strategic direction, organizational structure, and future opportunities for growth. For eight years, Wawa has transformed its delivery of disparate sets of parts into a single, high-functioning system. Issues facing the company are now included (1) the relationship between SCM and competitiveness, (2) the nature of the typical store, and the store manager, and (3) the possibility of expanding beyond the current scope of operations for Wawa. Another question related to the Wawa stores. Historically, the area was featured children, the atmosphere, where "everybody knows your name", but the company is moving toward larger, more standardized units with a smaller number of proposals to minimize the time of the client bandwidth. What would this change mean for the role of the store manager, and for the overall customer experience? Finally, to what extent was the Wawa "locked" in a concentrated, mid-Atlantic market? Could - and should - the company trying to export its own distinctive value proposition, culture and practices in other geographical areas "Hide
by Robert W. Keidel Source: Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation 14 pages. Publication Date: May 19, 2011. Prod. #: W11287-PDF-ENG