It’s been a busy month for opening and closing announcements. Here’s a sampling.
Openings: Trader Joe’s, Lidl, McCaffrey’s, Wegmans, Giant Heirloom Market
Closings: Weis, Acme, ShopRite
Trader Joe’s is pursuing plans to open a store across Arch Street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, according to a company spokesperson. The store will reportedly be on the ground floor of a parking structure, and will be the second Trader Joe’s store in Philadelphia.
“We are definitely interested in that location,” said Kenya Friend-Daniel. “We are taking the proper steps accordingly to make that happen.”
Construction is underway for Lidl at the former Norristown Ford site in Trooper (Lower Providence Township), PA.
“We’re very pleased that the work has started and by the end of this year there should be a nice new supermarket opened up,” according to Township Manager Don Delamater.
Earlier this month McCaffrey’s Food Markets acknowledged that they are seeking to open a new store in the New Hope Shopping Center in New Hope, PA. The space is currently occupied by Staples, which will close on February 8, according to reports.
“We are working on it, but nothing to confirm yet,” said McCaffrey’s President and CEO Jim McCaffrey III.
The store would be the seventh location for the family-owned chain.
Wegmans plans to open its first New York City store this fall. It will serve as the anchor for the $140 million redevelopment of the Admirals Row site in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The development will also include 78,000 additional square feet of retail, 126,000 square feet of light industrial, and 7,000 square feet of community facility space.
Wegmans also plans to open stores in Virginia and North Carolina this year, at which time the company will have more than 100 stores.
Giant Heirloom Market, Giant’s first urban format store, opened on Friday at 2302 Bainbridge Street in Center City Philadelphia. The 9,500 square foot store features grab-and-go technology for payment, as well as online pickup and delivery options.
Weis Markets closed their Upper Saucon, PA store, located in the Fairmont Village Shopping Center. A Gaint Food Market across the street recently opened a beer and wine eatery, and has had a fuel station for years.
“We are committed to our remaining stores in the Lehigh Valley,” said Company Spokesperson Dennis Curtin.
Acme will close its Gladwyne, PA store on February 16, according to the company, which acknowledged that the store “didn’t meet company goals.”
A company spokesperson added that “we own that area,” noting that it has stores in nearby Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr, Narberth and Wynnewood.
In perhaps the most publicized opening or closing, Jeff Brown’s ShopRite at 67th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia will close in March.
“The store lost about a quarter of its business, most of it in 2017 after the beverage tax was implemented,” said Brown. “The store is closing because of (Mayor) Jim Kenney’s beverage tax.”
In response, the Kenney administration issued a statement pointing out that since the tax was implemented, several grocery stores have opened in the city, including the largest-ever Wawa.