Food City celebrated the completion of a major remodel and expansion at its Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, store with a flag-raising and ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 23, along with special pricing on select items throughout the store.
The project added nearly 10,000 square feet of retail space, bringing the store’s total footprint to more than 58,000 square feet and creating more than 50 new jobs in the area.
“We are excited to celebrate the completion of a significant remodel and expansion at our Strawberry Plains Food City,” said Steven C. Smith, president and CEO of Food City. “Our customers will continue to find the same smiling faces, quality products, exceptional customer service, and value they have come to expect from Food City, along with a variety of new services and conveniences designed to enhance the shopping experience.”
Strawberry Plains continues a strong year of store investment for the Abingdon, Virginia-based grocer, which has expanded its Blountville, Tennessee, store; completed a remodel in Pikeville, Kentucky; and opened a replacement store in Marion, Virginia, earlier this month. The company also has broken ground for new stores in the Huntsville, Alabama, market and Oneonta, Alabama.
Starbucks café, smoker among the additions
The Strawberry Plains expansion includes a Starbucks café offering hot and cold beverages, breakfast sandwiches and pastries. The produce and foodservice departments were expanded with new features including a fresh-ground peanut grinder, café seating area, fresh food bar with soup, salad and fruit selections, specialty cake corner, hickory wood smoker and a fireplace gathering area.
The pharmacy was expanded and now includes a walk-up window, while the Gas N’ Go fuel center gained two additional fuel stations and diesel service. Other improvements include a new lottery machine in the vestibule, upgraded registers and self-checkout lanes, new product cases, energy-efficient LED lighting, updated decor and a new flagpole.
“I would like to thank our loyal customers for their patience and support throughout the construction process,” said Jason Jones, store manager. “We are grateful for their understanding and look forward to sharing these new enhancements with the community. I believe our customers will agree they were well worth the wait.”
Food City parent company K-VA-T Food Stores operates 163 retail outlets, including 121 pharmacies, in southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia and Alabama.
Related: Food City Replacement Store In VA Opens Sept. 16