BRUNSWICK — Another Hannaford is coming to Brunswick, bringing 150 jobs with it, the supermarket chain announced Wednesday.
Located in the Cooks Corner Shopping Mall at the intersection of Bath and Gurnet roads, the new, 50,000-square-foot Hannaford Supermarket and Pharmacy will “make it even easier for Brunswick-area customers to do their grocery shopping for the week or pick up that one item they need,” Eric Blom, company spokesman said in a news release.
The new store will take over adjacent spaces formerly occupied by Brunswick Bookland and Staples. The office supplies store would relocate within the plaza, Hannaford said.
Construction is expected to being sometime this summer, but Blom said in a phone interview that the store will need to get through the permitting process before an opening date is set.
Brunswick already has one Hannaford downtown, which will remain open and receive “substantial investments and improvements,” Blom said, including a complete revitalization of the produce section, giving it more of a “market” feel. That location also will add Hannaford to Go, a service that allows customers to select items online and pick up their orders at the store. The selection of ready to eat and hot bar items also will be expanded.
“A lot of folks don’t come into the downtown to do their grocery shopping,” said Linda Smith, economic development director. The new store will help to draw people from Harpswell and elsewhere, she said, adding that it will open up a “whole new (consumer) market.”
Down the road in Merrymeeting Plaza, Shaw’s will also remain open and according to Smith, there is enough activity to support both stores. “There’s passionate support for both,” she said, noting that people have strong preferences. Shaw’s and the current Hannaford are Brunswick’s only two supermarkets, she said, not counting WalMart.
Hannaford representatives declined to comment on the cost of construction.
“We are proud to be investing further in our state, bringing new jobs to the area and strengthening our relationship with the community,” Blom said. “The new store will be an active member of the Brunswick community, contributing to local nonprofit organizations, civic groups and hunger-relief efforts.”
The store will be Hannaford’s 64th supermarket in Maine. The company is based in Scarborough and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutch retail group Ahold Delhaize.
J. Craig Anderson of the Portland Press Herald contributed to this report.
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