ELKVIEW, W.Va. — A groundbreaking ceremony officially kicked off construction on a new and expanded Kroger store at Elkview Crossings Mall.
Kroger officials, workers, and local officials gathered Tuesday afternoon to officially commence the project at the former K-Mart location. Kroger is moving several doors down the shopping center from its current location at 223 Crossings Mall Road to 201 on that same street.
Kroger Mid-Atlantic Head of Communications and Public Affairs James Menees said the new store will be the biggest non-Kroger Marketplace location in the region.
“We’re more than doubling the size of the Kroger location,” Menees said. “We’re going from about 33,000 square feet to 82,000 square feet. It’s going to offer, truly, the best that Kroger has to offer. We have a sushi destination, Murray’s cheese. We’re going to have a garden center, which is really exciting. So, we really think customers are going to love what we have to offer here at Elkview.”
Menees said the new store will showcase all the best that Kroger has to offer, and work is already underway.
“We’re so excited to be here in the community to offer this new store to all of our loyal shoppers and introduce new shoppers to Kroger,” Menees said. “Construction’s actually already underway, but we’re officially breaking ground today and are going to speed up the construction timeline and get open as soon as we possibly can.”
Elkview is an important place for Kroger, Menees said.
“Kroger loves Elkview,” Menees said. “We been serving this community for a long time, and we’re happy to bring more to our customers here, and really increase the footprint and the size of the store, and just have more products, and such a great experience for our customers, which a bigger store will allow us to do.”
Barring any variables inhibiting progress, Menees said the goal is to open the new Elkview Kroger in early 2027.
Menees said Kroger leadership and associates alike are excited for the new Elkview store. He said the change signals a bright future in the state, as well as in Elkview. Since there will be a larger store, Menees said there will be more jobs available at the location in line with that.
The acquisition of the former K-Mart was a straightforward process, Menees said. Because of the efficient transition, Menees said that allowed the construction team to already get to work.
Kroger Marketplace in South Charleston
Additionally, the groundbreaking ceremony comes nearly two weeks before the first Kroger Marketplace in the state opens its doors in South Charleston. The Marketplace will be 122,000 square feet, the largest Kroger in West Virginia.
There will be a grand opening on June 24 for the Marketplace, Menees said. The growth of Kroger in the region is all about serving West Virginia customers, he added.
“Kroger’s been serving West Virginia for 100 years,” Menees said. “Our first store opened in Charleston in 1926. So, we’re really happy about our rich history here in the state, and we know there’s opportunity here to offer more to our customers.”