SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The first-of-its-kind Kroger Marketplace will usher in a new era of shopping in the Mountain State when its doors officially open Wednesday morning.
The 122,000 square foot store is the first Kroger Marketplace in the Mountain State. It’s located at the developing Park Place Plaza Shopping Center in South Charleston. Workers officially broke ground on the $40 million project last July.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin the festivities Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. The store’s doors open at 8 a.m. The first 500 customers will receive a $10 gift card.
Kroger Mid-Atlantic Head of Communications and Public Affairs James Menees was a guest on “580 Live” with Dave Allen Tuesday. Menees said customers will see traditional grocery items carried in the store — much more of them.
“The selection is significant,” Menees said. “We have home goods and apparel; that’s something different that the Marketplace offers. We obviously have the pharmacy with the drive-thru, we have pickup services, Murray’s cheese, and there’s a giant sushi destination.”
Menees said Kanawha Valley residents will be pleased with what the Marketplace includes.
“It really is the best that Kroger has to offer,” Menees said. “It’s a big store, it’s about 122,000 square feet, it has everything you need, it’s a one-stop destination. It really is much more than a grocery store. We’re really looking forward to it.”
South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens told MetroNews that conversations about the Kroger Marketplace began 10 years ago. The city knew it would be a prolonged process when they started plans a decade ago, he said, and only ended up eight months behind the initial timeline. Mullens said it’s amazing to see the idea come to fruition.
“It’s been a long haul, but it’s all been worth it,” Mullens said. “This store is going to be very well received by the public. The great thing about this project, as much as we love our city and store, we’re going to the host city, right? This is a regional store; it’s going to serve the whole region. So, that makes it even a win-win for everybody.”
Local media and elected officials toured the store Tuesday. State Treasurer Larry Pack was on hand. He said Mullens deserves credit for believing in the project.
“This used to be basically a pond that nobody thought you could do anything with,” Pack said. “So, the vision that this project took, this is 10 years into making. A lot of people had to do a lot of things to make it happen, which shows what happens when West Virginia works together. It shows that companies outside of West Virginia want to invest in West Virginia.”
Menees also praised Mullens for making the Kroger Marketplace happen.
“Mayor Mullens and his entire team, the city of South Charleston, have been fantastic partners in getting this store built and ready to open,” Menees said. “We couldn’t be more proud of our partnership with the city and really look forward to serving who lives and works here.”
Pack said the store is every bit of 122,000 square feet and even looks bigger than that. He noted the variety of fresh foods and sushi that the Marketplace carries. With the store’s arrival in the community, Pack said more employment opportunities are arriving in the Kanawha Valley.
“The number of jobs it’s bringing to the community is also phenomenal,” Pack said. “The investments that are going on around Kroger, it’s just absolutely amazing. It just shows you South Charleston’s on the move, and Kanawha Valley is on the move, a lot of good things are happening.”
Kroger officials and Mullens called the Kroger Marketplace an “anchor” for the Park Place plaza, a store that could spark further investment in the area. Going forward, the goal is to have more businesses to pop up around it. Mullens noted that several buildings are already in process, in addition to a Kroger gas station to go hand-in-hand with the Marketplace store.
State Senator Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, took in the sights of the Marketplace during Tuesday’s tour. He said the store will help make Kanawha County even more of a destination and encourage more people to live in the area. He said Kroger Marketplace has even spurred conversations beyond West Virginia with its arrival.
“(It’s) impressive for not only the community, but for West Virginia as a whole,” Takubo said. “I’ve had friends out of state that have actually been reading and been excited about what’s happening, anchored right here in Charleston, West Virginia.”
Pack said the Kroger Marketplace can signal to other supermarkets to step up their game in West Virginia. He said competition is great to keep pushing West Virginia forward.
“New products, new ideas are good,” Pack said. “It brings a lot of people to Charleston. This is on the interstate as well. So, it’s going to be people not just from Kanawha County coming here, people from all around southern West Virginia. So, it’s an exciting time to be in West Virginia. West Virginia is growing. We’re really moving forward. We ought to be proud.”
Menees said there will be 307 associates working at Kroger Marketplace. Kroger has 36 stores in the state and employs more than 3500 associates. Menees said there are positions available online to apply at kroger.com.
The Marketplace is not the end of Kroger’s investment, Menees said. He teased more stores in the works.
“We have been investing in the state, and we’ll be continuing to invest in the state,” Menees said. “There are more stores to come, and more news to share down the line, absolutely, which we’re really excited about.”
The Kroger Marketplace will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.