Wegmans Store Closes; Bigger, Better One to Take Its Place

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A 64,000-square-foot, 28-year-old Wegmans on Dick Road store in Depew, N.Y. closed Saturday evening so it could be torn down to make way for a bigger, better version.

The replacement store will measure 100,000 square feet, and features will include expanded produce, pharmacy, and natural foods departments, as well as improved lighting and landscaping around the parking lot. According to the Cheektowaga, N.Y. Times, it was the success of this early unit that has motivated Wegmans to open 10 more stores in New York's Erie and Niagara counties.

Ann McCarthy, consumer affairs manager for Wegmans' Buffalo, N.Y. division, was quoted in the newspaper saying that food remaining on the shelves after the store closed would be given to area food pantries and soup kitchens, and that there were plans for some of the fixtures to be donated, as well.

The company has temporarily relocated the Depew store's in-store pharmacy, which will also carry lottery tickets and common staple items such as milk, to a nearby location. The site once revamped, will also house Wegmans' local office. All of the store's employees have been transferred to other Wegmans locations in the area.

The new store could open as soon as May 2006, if the necessary permits are approved, the company said, adding that up to 100 part-time and full-time jobs would be created, most of them dealing with food preparation.
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