Wegmans has been waiting in the wings to make its initial move to Long Island, and now the upscale supermarket chain is finally ready to expand into the area.
Wegmans has agreed to buy 8.5 acres of land in the DSW Plaza shopping center in Lake Grove, Newsday reported. The chain plans to build a 100,000-square-foot supermarket within the shopping center, though the construction and completion timeline is unclear.
A spokesperson for the company said the chain seeks densely populated areas for regional locations customers can easily find and access. The DSW Plaza location has the added benefit of being across the street from another popular shopping center, the Smith Haven Mall.
A Fairway Market operated out of the shopping center for two years, but closed in July 2016. Wegmans is reportedly not occupying the same space Fairway once held.
Wegmans’ construction plans, set to be discussed with village officials next month, will prompt some reshuffling in DSW Plaza. An active Ashley Furniture store will relocate to a different space in the shopping center, while a vacant Babies R Us/Toys R Us will be torn down.
Prestige Properties and Development will retain ownership and operation of the rest of the shopping center.
The family-owned, Rochester-based Wegmans chain operates more than 100 stores across the country, almost half in New York state. The company did more than $11 billion in sales last year and has expanded into New York City in recent years.
Steiner NYC reached an agreement to bring Wegmans to Admiral’s Row in the Brooklyn Navy Yard back in 2015. It took four years, but the location finally opened in 2019.
The regional grocery chain is also moving into Manhattan, replacing the recently shuttered Astor Place Kmart at Vornado Realty Trust’s 770 Broadway. The store, the company’s second in the city, is expected to open in the second half of 2023.
Outside of the city, Wegmans opened its first store in Westchester County in 2020. It also recently announced plans to open its first store in Connecticut.
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