Wegmans Food Markets has plans to open its first Connecticut location, the company said earlier this month. The store will be located on nearly 11 acres of land off Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk, adjacent to route I-95.
The two-level store will be approximately 95,000 square feet and will also include a multi-level parking garage. A timeline for construction and opening has not yet been determined, pending municipal approvals for the project.
“Each year we receive hundreds of requests from residents for a store in Connecticut, so we’re excited to bring Wegmans to Norwalk and to get to know our new neighbors,” said Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. “Even before we open the doors to our new store, we’re committed to making a difference in every community we serve.”
The new unit sets up a battle of the perishables-oriented titans with Stew Leonard’s flagship store, also located in Norwalk, less than five miles from the Wegmans location.
This news comes as the Rochester, NY based family-owned retailer is gearing up to open two stores in the metro Washington, DC market in the coming months. Premiering May 11 will be an 81,300 square foot unit located in the Carlyle development in Alexandria that will employ approximately 450 people. Next up, the company will open its first store in Northwest Washington, DC at City Ridge, which will be part of the historic building formerly occupied by Fannie Mae’s headquarters. That 84,000 square foot store is scheduled to open in the summer of 2022 and employ approximately 450 people. Also, the uber-merchant expects to open a third new store in late 2022 – an 84,000 square foot unit in the tony Wilmington suburb of Greenville. That would be the company’s first store in the First state.
Additionally, in July 2021 Wegmans announced plans for its second New York City location. The Manhattan Wegmans, scheduled to open in the second half of 2023, will be located at 770 Broadway, the former site of the Astor Place Kmart. Wegmans opened its first NYC store (74,000 square feet) in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in October of 2019.
Under the terms of the 30-year Astor Place lease, Wegmans will occupy space on both the street and lower levels of 770 Broadway for a total of roughly 82,000 square feet. The building is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, at the nexus of downtown residential, retail and office locations, and occupies a full city block between 8th and 9th Streets and Broadway and Fourth Avenue.
Other locations in the new store pipeline for Wegmans include: Lower Makefield, PA (approximately 100,000 square feet); Rockville, MD (92,000 square feet); Holly Springs, NC (99,000 square feet); and Reston, VA (approximately 80,000 square feet).