New Wegmans Opens Today in Virginia

Wegmans in Gainesville, Va., (officially known as Wegmans Lake Manassas) opened today. The Washington Post provided this story with this unique aspect about the store:

Although each store offers a similar selection of goods, Dempsey said the decor varies. Each store has a mural along the back wall representing the region. The Gainesville store's mural depicts scenes such as the cherry blossoms in the District and the Shenandoah mountains. And the mural would not be complete, Dempsey said, without a scene of the Manassas Battlefield.

New Wegmans Planned for Fairfax County in Northern Virginia

Dulles. Fairfax. Woodbridge. Lake Manassas. Leesburg. Fredericksburg.

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.

Construction Begins for New Wegmans in Leesburg

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.

Is Massachusetts Really Green and Eco Friendly?

The utterly lame three-week shutdown of the Massachusetts House of Representatives over the alcohol license for a proposed Wegmans in Westwood raises an interesting question: how eco-friendly is Massachusetts?

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.

Two reactions:

a.) Agreed...ridiculous. It's 2008...makes little sense.

b.) Why force people to drive to multiple stores to get their goods? Doesn't that create more carbon emissions? Do we really want more cars on the road for short little trips instead of giving consumers the choice -- the choice -- to combine errands in as few places as possible? Of course, the "mom and pop" beer and wine stores may suffer, but people can still choose to shop there or Wegmans or Walmart.

Seems strange that liberal Massachusetts is somewhat eco-unfriendly and anti-choice.

More Politics Preventing Wegmans in Boston

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.

Update on Wegmans in Boston Area

From today's MetroWest Daily News:

BOSTON — State Rep. Paul McMurtry brought the House to a standstill Monday, hoping to pressure fellow legislators to act on Westwood's petition to obtain a beer and wine license for Wegmans supermarket.

Further down:

"There are some concerns that some other establishments in Westwood will be negatively impacted, and they want to make sure that those are addressed," McMurtry said, citing Roche Bros. Supermarkets.

It appears the Roche Brothers are a little afraid of competition, which is shame because stores tend to become more attentive when a Wegmans arrives in the area.

Why No Wegmans in Albany?

As mentioned in a previous post, a huge new Wegmans store in Henrietta near Rochester will be opening Sunday.

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?

New Huge Wegmans in Henrietta Set to Open Sunday

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.

Woodbridge+Wegmans

Woodbridge, Virginia, gets classed up with a Wegmans, according to the Washington Post:

For years, the residents of Prince William County and the politicians who represented them hoped for a classy revitalization of the county's Route 1 corridor. 

White-tablecloth restaurants, department stores and upscale grocery stores would offer an alternative to the run-down strip malls and fast food joints that line the stretch of highway to the east. 

Few plans elicited as much passion from residents as the one to bring a Wegmans grocery store to Woodbridge.

Future Wegmans Store News

A response from Wegmans to a fellow blogger:

What follows is a list of planned stores, which for the most part, do not as yet have defined construction schedules.

Confirmed Opening Dates:
• Woodbridge, VA, Summer 2008

Opening Dates Yet to Be Determined:
• Malvern, PA
• Leesburg, VA
• Lake Manassas, VA
• Frederick, MD
• Crofton, MD
• Landover, MD
• Columbia, MD
• Fredericksburg, VA
• Collegeville, PA

Project On Hold for Future Consideration:
• Turnersville, NJ