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MEDFORD, Mass. – Continuing its rapid expansion in Massachusetts, Wegmans Food Markets Inc. will debut in this Boston suburb.
The chain’s supermarket here, in a mall undergoing a renovation, will likely be its sixth in the state.
Wegmans’ most recent opening in the Bay State came in October in Westwood. The stores’ offerings include premium prepared food, ready-to-cook entrees, specialty and artisan cheeses, and fresh New England seafood. With 70,000 products, Wegmans has about twice the selection of most other supermarkets, according to the company.
“It’s always exciting to watch customers walk into the store for the first time and see all we have to offer,” said store manager Dave Orlovsky.
The 122,000-square-foot Westwood store has produce up front, followed by other fresh food areas with an open-air market feel, including bakery, meat, seafood and cheese. The Market Café has indoor and outdoor seating for nearly 300 people.
The wine and beer shop has more than 700 varieties of domestic and imported beer with “Craft Your Own” six-packs, wines starting at $6, and weekly wine tastings.
The Westwood store also includes a pharmacy. J.D. Power and Associates’ 2015 Pharmacy Study recently ranked Wegmans “highest in customer satisfaction among supermarket pharmacies” nationwide.
The retailer’s other Massachusetts stores are in Northborough, Newton and Burlington. A unit is slated to open in Natick in 2017 and another in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston in 2019 or 2020.
The Natick outlet will occupy mall space vacated by J.C. Penney Co. Wegmans will lease the space from General Growth Properties, the Chicago-based owner of the Natick Mall. The space, comprising 194,000 square feet on three floors, will include a 125,000-square-foot Wegmans supermarket occupying the entire first floor and half of the second floor. The remaining approximately 70,000 square feet will be leased by Wegmans to complementary tenants. Parking will be located in adjacent ramp garages, and there will be direct interior access to Wegmans through existing mall entrances at both levels.
“Natick Mall is an ideal place for us to deliver on our promise of incredible customer service, the best ingredients, restaurant-quality prepared foods, and low prices,” says senior vice president of real estate Ralph Uttaro. “The fact that this will be our first multilevel store within a major mall only adds to our enthusiasm for this project.”