It's finally here! Wegmans launched its iPhone app complete with shopping lists, weekly flyer, prescription refill, product database, cooking videos and tons of recipes, among other features.
Now add Mount Vernon in Fairfax County to the list of locations for Wegmans in Northern Virginia. According to an article in the Mount Vernon Gazette:
By Chuck Hagee, Gazette
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Wegmans Grocery is finally coming to Mount Vernon-Lee districts. But, primarily to Lee District, since the plot of land of its future home only contains a small corner in Mount Vernon District.
That was the word delivered by Lynne J. Strobel, Esq., of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh to members of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce during their luncheon last Thursday at Belle Haven Country Club. "Wegmans is 100 percent committed to this project," she said.
The project she was talking about, to be known as "The Hilltop Village Center," will be located at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Beulah Street, presently home to a construction and demolition debris landfill operation and a nine hole golf course.
This fall's Wegmans magazine is now available at the grocery store. Italian food is the theme and some of the recipes look good. As usual, I like to try many of the recipes and this magazine does provide nutritional information, which is critical. But, as usual, this magazine introduces all sorts of new products that you can now, conveniently enough, purchase pre-packaged at Wegmans.
Earlier this week, Wegmans recalled bagels and bialys. Tonight, add Challah bread and in-store baked rolls.
According to WHEC-TV in Rochester, the baked goods were sold in Wegmans' bakery departments between June 19 and today; the products could contain pieces of metal from a broken mixer.
Customers may return the product to Wegmans for a full refund or call the Wegmans consumer affairs department at 1-800-WEGMANS.
Supermarket News reports that Wegmans introduces sustainable packaging and sustainable containers in its fresh food areas.
Another good step for the environment. Now only if Wegmans and other stores would get rid of plastic bags and require reusable bags.
More from Wegmans consumer specialist Mary Ellen Burris about green packaging:
A recent step: change all the Asian Wokery Bar food containers (the little red boxes) from pure, bleached paper to those made of 100% recycled paper (35% is post consumer paper; the rest is scrap paper generated during manufacturing). The new boxes perform just like the “old” ones; only the color now is “Kraft” or brown. On the salad and food bars, we’re adding a “green” choice; a similar material of 100% recycled paper. We’ll be watching for customer reaction and would love your feedback.
Today's the day the dirt started to move for the new Wegmans in Leesburg, Va., about 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C. It'll be the fifth Virginia store (Dulles, Fairfax, Woodbridge and Gainesville).
The Leesburg location is at The Village at Leesburg, being developed by Dallas-based Cypress Equities and Washington-based Kettler at Route 7 and River Creek Parkway. The 140,000 square foot Wegmans is expected to open in November, 2009.
According to an editorial in the Enterprise News:
It's a ridiculous situation, but that's because the state's post-Prohibition alcohol regulatory framework is ridiculous. There is no good reason liquor licenses should be limited at all, except to protect some businesses against competition from other businesses.
OK, not for everyone.
But a few lucky people at one Syracuse area store can thank technology failure for their free groceries today.
Interesting idea that starts Sept. 30 to help shoppers know where food comes from.
“I kind of try to stay with American now. And I like to know where the food is coming from when we eat it. If we like it, fine. But if we don't like it, I want to make sure we stay away from that,” Ed Lesczinski from Greece said.
A great blog posting that talks about the new Wegmans in Henrietta, but then takes the bigger picture and talks about the local importance of Wegmans in Rochester. It also compares Wegmans in 2008 to Kodak in years past.
"Rochester and Kodak were once synonymous. Growing up, it seemed every other kid’s dad worked there. (Mine didn’t, though my grandfather had) “The company treats its people so well that the unions can’t get in”…..I heard that refrain constantly. But it‘s been decades since I heard it last. Struggling to thrive (or even survive) in the digital age, Kodak steadily shed whatever paternalism it once had. At one time it might have ranked high on that Fortune list. But now it is Wegmans' day in the sun."
Politicians are having fun blocking a liquor license for Wegmans in Massachusetts, thus preventing a new store in a new market. Some details from news articles and editorials show it's more than just for the sake of policy, it's more about preventing competition, doing favors and good ol' lobbying:
Patriot Ledger:
"McMurtry said Rep. Angelo Scaccia, a Democrat from Boston, told McMurtry that he would block the bill because it would give Wegmans a competitive advantage against a nearby Roche Bros. store in Westwood."
The Daily News Transcript:
McMurtry, who is pushing for the Legislature to approve the bill, thinks Scaccia is being influenced by a potential Wegmans competitor. It seems clear he is. Roche Bros. Supermarkets, whose CEO and owner, Rick Roche, lives in Westwood, hired former state representative Maryanne Lewis to lobby on its behalf. Lewis served in the House with Scaccia.
Of course, that's great news for the local Rochester area. Meanwhile, multiple stores continue to operate in Buffalo and Syracuse.
But why has Wegmans ignored the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area all of these years? Let's look at some demographics:
Metro Area --- Population
Buffalo --- 1,170,111
Rochester --- 1,039,028
Syracuse --- 732,117
Jamestown --- 30,726
Ithaca --- 29,952
-----------------------------------
Albany --- 850,957
Of course, population density is not the sole determining factor for Wegmans to consider, but one wonders why Albany, the state's capital, has been left out for so long? It's a relatively wealthy area with Saratoga Springs, universities and other job centers. And plenty of people.
With talk of expanding to Boston, perhaps Albany will finally become a Wegmans town, otherwise, there will be an even larger hole on the store locator map.
The current expansion pattern and new stores are centered in the D.C. suburbs, which makes sense as there is plenty of disposable income and people in that major metro region.
But why not Albany? What's wrong with Albany?
According to a Wegmans news release:
The new 100,000 sq. ft. supermarket sits on 30 acres of property purchased by Wegmans from the Monroe County Fair and Recreation Association. The site has more than 15 acres of green space that includes a retention pond, expansive lawns, 250 trees, 1,600 shrubs, 2,600 annual plants, and two acres of wildflowers. Along Calkins Road, ornamental streets lights, trees and sidewalks extend 1,700 feet west to the Town of Henrietta Senior Center.
In the meantime, there are several grocery shopping apps available for people to make their lists and check them twice in a store. Some have been OK, but finally, there's a solid app out there called "Bread and Milk." It allows people to add items, like other apps, but more importantly, you can arrange the categories the way you shop or the way your store is laid out. Also, it displays the number of items you need on the application's icon on your home screen.
I've already customized my version on my iPhone to follow the footprint of my Wegmans. Check it out and it may make your shopping easier.
People familiar with Wegmans clamor for the store in their city. With the D.C. and Philly markets conquered, is Boston next? Should it be the next big city market for Wegmans to expand and thereby increase its cult status and profit margin?
I would guess that by looking at the store locator map that Boston is not next. Look where the retail service center is located -- right in the heart of Pennsylvania with access to all four compass points. I don't think Boston sees a Wegmans until Albany sees one first.
Here's an intriguing academic paper on Wegmans by some students at Syracuse University that calls for putting all Wegmans products online. For those of you out of the "Wegmans Zone," this would probably be ideal, though you wouldn't have the store experience!
Leesburg and Gainesville, Va., stores are inching closer to reality. Congrats to these communities. Who's next?
Leesburg
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