It is good news that Hannaford (and parent company Delhaize) will be able to take advantage of the work and investments by Stop & Shop that established a supermarket on the outskirts of Kennebunk.

Stop & Shop shuttered the store last October, less than 18 months after it opened, complaining of poor sales. But Hannaford, a Maine-based company with more than 170 stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York, has successfully opened stores throughout the region, reaching more and more suburban and rural customers.

So it seems likely that many potential patrons in Kennebunk, Arundel, Kennebunkport, parts of Biddeford and elsewhere will find the Route 1 site near the Arundel-Kennebunk line convenient. If the new Hannaford store, due to open this spring, is successful, other businesses, including the Sebago Brewing Co. restaurant planned for the same complex, are likely to prosper as well.

The original proposal for a supermarket complex was widely opposed in Kennebunk, but the success of the center is in the best interests of the town and its taxpayers. Town Manager Barry Tibbetts, cheered by Hannaford’s announcement, recently commented: “We’re back to where we were nine months ago.”

Commercial development of this once-rural district will help Kennebunk’s tax base and make good use of a site that was designed and built to carefully considered standards. Conveniently located on a well-traveled highway, it will enable many to shop closer to home and work.

If it were possible to turn back the clock to a time before this complex received its local approvals we might argue that establishing Stop & Shop supermarket at the edge of town is not in Kennebunk’s interest. Today Garden Street Market still anchors Kennebunk’s downtown shopping district, while Stop & Shop has lost all interest not only in Kennebunk, but all of Maine. This reversal should remind planners everywhere to be skeptical about corporate promises and goals.

Hannaford struggled in vain to block Stop & Shop’s arrival, so the company must be gratified by this turn of events. As an alternative to an empty supermarket, the Hannaford’s plans for a turn-around seem well-founded. This fresh start deserves support from potential customers and the community.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com or City Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski at kristenm@journaltribune.com.