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RALEIGH, N.C. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc. estimated that 3,000 people waited in line on the morning of September 29 for the grand opening of the its 100th store. Some 30,000 shoppers entered this city’s first Wegmans supermarket on its first day in business, making the opening the most heavily attended in the company’s 103-year history.
The Raleigh store encompasses 104,000 square feet in the Midtown East Shopping Center, and it is the first of five stores that Wegmans plans to open in the Tar Heel State. Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans also has stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia, with plans to enter Delaware.
The newest store features 4,000 organic choices, The Burger Bar and extensive prepared food offerings, the company said in a statement. It employs 475 people.
Hallie Johnston, manager of the Raleigh store, said that even before the store opened 24,000 Raleigh-area residents had signed up for the Wegmans Shoppers Club membership via the store’s website and app.
“I love the collaborative spirit of Raleigh,” Johnston said. “The businesses and communities here work together to make the area a great place for everyone to live, work and play.”
The privately held grocer is preparing to open its first New York City location, within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, later this month.
As its physical footprint grows, Wegmans is also expanding its digital capabilities.
In April, the grocer partnered with DoorDash to introduce Wegmans Meals 2GO to 40 stores in 2019. Shoppers using the Wegmans Meals 2GO app can order from the grocer’s prepared food selection, which includes sushi, pizza, wings, subs, salads, soups, heat-and-eat meals, desserts and beverages.
“What’s unique about Wegmans Meals 2GO is the variety of delicious menu options,” said Erica Tickle, Wegmans e-commerce group manager. “During the yearlong pilot at our Pittsford store, we listened and learned, fine-tuned the app and created a menu that had something for everyone at home or at work.”
Earlier this year, Wegmans expanded its click-and-collect program for shoppers at all of its Rochester-area stores. Customers go online to instacart.wegmans.com or log on to the Instacart app to purchase groceries and schedule a pickup time. Orders are held in a temperature-controlled staging area until the customer pulls into the store’s curbside pickup lane and receives the groceries.