A new supermarket may soon join the ranks of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in Virginia Beach.
City officials announced Friday that Wegmans signed a lease to open its 93rd store in Town Center, near the intersection of Virginia Beach and Independence boulevards.
Wegmans will take over the HQ Warehouse property, demolishing the building that has housed the Salvation Army Hampton Roads Area Command’s Christmas Depot for the last nine years, said Virginia Beach spokeswoman Julie Hill.
Wegmans, a New York-based chain, sells produce and meats, as well as international foods, craft beers, specialty cheeses and pre-packaged meals.
If built, the store will be the first of its kind in Hampton Roads. The closest Wegmans is currently located more than 100 miles from Town Center in Midlothian.
Friday’s announcement came nearly two months after the grocery store scrapped plans to build a location in Newport News, near Jefferson Avenue and Brick Kiln Boulevard.
“Over the years, we’ve received many requests for a store in Virginia Beach, so we are thrilled to finally announce that we’re headed there,” Wegmans Senior Vice President of Real Estate Ralph Uttaro said in a news release.
Groceries aren’t the only commodities Wegmans could bring to Virginia Beach as city officials predict the multi-million dollar store will also create hundreds of jobs.
“We have wanted Wegmans to come to Virginia Beach for a very long time so this is truly great news,” Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. wrote in a news release. “The only day that will be better than the announcement day will be the day it opens.”
Officials are unsure of when construction will begin on the 130,000-square-foot store.
“Wegmans is one of the most sought-after companies there is,” Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Warren D. Harris wrote in a new release. “With Wegmans, we get a new entry in the grocery market and further the expansion of Town Center.”
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The store’s site map was provided by Hill.
Mayfield can be reached at adrienne.m@wydaily.com.
