Wegman's

[webny99]

chains like Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie, BiLo, and Doschers.

Speaking of planets, that sounds like a bunch of grocery stores from another planet, if not another universe 

Wegman's is terrific on most fronts.  My biggest criticism of them is that they constantly move entire sections of the store around...

We don't really have that problem... mostly just the occasional overhaul/update. Which sections do you find they tend to move around?

[Takumi]

Wegmans is the best grocery store on the planet.

Most people who regularly shop at Publix would probably disagree with you on that, lol.

That was a superlative intended mostly as humor, and to catch your attention

I just figured you were an employee.

[read: Takumi thinks Wegman's employees are stuck-up]
Or are you merely alluding to how many times they've made the "Best 100 Companies to Work For" list?

The latter. I actually like the layout of the store, but the closest one is half an hour from me.

[Brandon]

chains like Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie, BiLo, and Doschers.

Speaking of planets, that sounds like a bunch of grocery stores from another planet, if not another universe 

Different chains, different areas.  Around Chicagoland, there's Tony's, Jewel-Osco, Mariano's Fresh Market, Meijer, Walmart, Aldi, Food4Less, among others.  Up north, in Wisconsin, there's Kroger, Pick 'n Save, Woodman's (with a couple Chicagoland locations), Piggy Wiggly, Sentry Foods, etc.  Downstate,  one can find Kroger, County Market, Schnuck's, Sullivan's Foods, etc (even Jewel-Osco, Meijer, and others).

I've never heard of Wegman's until I saw posts from folks out east.

[1995hoo]

chains like Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie, BiLo, and Doschers.

Speaking of planets, that sounds like a bunch of grocery stores from another planet, if not another universe 

Wegman's is terrific on most fronts.  My biggest criticism of them is that they constantly move entire sections of the store around...

We don't really have that problem... mostly just the occasional overhaul/update. Which sections do you find they tend to move around?

The only Wegmans where I've seen a major change in the layout is the one just west of Fairfax City. The wine department used to be downstairs in its own separate space, but they moved it upstairs to the same area as the beer (similar layout to the store near my neighborhood). The change made sense to me because it was a hassle having to make a separate trip downstairs, complete with a separate checkout, to buy wine. I have not been to that store in a while (no reason to go there) so I don't know what, if anything, they did with the downstairs space–I kind of suspected they might add another restaurant similar to "The Pub at Wegmans" in the store near me, but I don't know.

(FWIW, BTW, it's "Wegmans" with no apostrophe. According to their website, the apostrophe has "been missing in action since 1931, when the company incorporated and we simplified the logo. Believe it or not, adding an apostrophe to the sign on the front of each of our stores would cost more than a half million dollars! Not to mention changing the logo on all our products, bags, etc. Just think of it as the plural Wegmans, as in the many generations of Wegman family members that have built the company!")

[webny99]

^ Well, I guess I get to break the news. Grocery stores aren't allowed to sell wine or liquor in NYS. So no small wonder Wegmans was unsure how to handle that opportunity 

They do have plenty of their own (detached) liquor stores, including Century Liquor.

[1995hoo]

In Virginia they can sell wine and beer. No liquor–have to go to the state store for that.

[Jmiles32]

Not only do I love Wegmans, but it appears that a majority Northern Virginians feel the same way. We currently have 7 Wegmans in the region with 3 or 4 more planned.

Ever since the Wegmans near me(Lake Manassas) opened up around 10 years ago, it has been indeed very interesting to watch the company's slow march south and how the battle with Publix(also very good) turns out in Richmond, Raleigh, and wherever else they may compete head to head. Gotta figure at some point both grocer giants decide to go west, its just a question of when...

[Scott5114]

The Wegmans marketing department thanks you all, I'm sure.

[webny99]

The Wegmans marketing department thanks you all, I'm sure.

They don't even need us to market for them. But, hey, it can't hurt them if we do, I guess 

[Thing 342]

Will be interesting to see which chain "wins" Virginia, though I wouldn't be surprised if they wind-up just splitting the state and expanding westwards in their general regions.

FWIW, aside from the Wegmans in Charlottesville (as part of the Hoos' ongoing mission to make Albemarle County a NOVA outpost), it seems like the next direction of expansion will be towards the east into the Tidewater, with Williamsburg opening both a new Publix and Wegmans location this upcoming year, and Wegmans working on a location in Virginia Beach as well. There was an attempt to rezone some land to build one in Newport News (it would have gone right next to the VA-143 exit off I-64), but the city denied the request, citing existing supermarket density (11 within 2 miles, IIRC) and traffic concerns. Any westward expansion into the I-81 corridor and beyond would likely have to deal with fact that Kroger and Food Lion seem to have an utter stranglehold on this area. Wegmans could probably succeed by being more upmarket, but I'm not sure what the angle for Publix is over either.

[Takumi]

Will be interesting to see which chain "wins" Virginia, though I wouldn't be surprised if they wind-up just splitting the state and expanding westwards in their general regions.

FWIW, aside from the Wegmans in Charlottesville (as part of the Hoos' ongoing mission to make Albemarle County a NOVA outpost), it seems like the next direction of expansion will be towards the east into the Tidewater, with Williamsburg opening both a new Publix and Wegmans location this upcoming year, and Wegmans working on a location in Virginia Beach as well. There was an attempt to rezone some land to build one in Newport News (it would have gone right next to the VA-143 exit off I-64), but the city denied the request, citing existing supermarket density (11 within 2 miles, IIRC) and traffic concerns. Any westward expansion into the I-81 corridor and beyond would likely have to deal with fact that Kroger and Food Lion seem to have an utter stranglehold on this area. Wegmans could probably succeed by being more upmarket, but I'm not sure what the angle for Publix is over either.

Where’s the Publix in Williamsburg going to be? One of the shuttered Ukrops locations, or somewhere else? (And for that matter, where’s the Wegmans going?)

I’m a bit surprised Farm Fresh hasn’t tried to re-enter the Richmond market since several of the Martin’s stores were never sold. They briefly had a presence in the early-mid 90s under the name The Grocery Store.

[Thing 342]

Will be interesting to see which chain "wins" Virginia, though I wouldn't be surprised if they wind-up just splitting the state and expanding westwards in their general regions.

FWIW, aside from the Wegmans in Charlottesville (as part of the Hoos' ongoing mission to make Albemarle County a NOVA outpost), it seems like the next direction of expansion will be towards the east into the Tidewater, with Williamsburg opening both a new Publix and Wegmans location this upcoming year, and Wegmans working on a location in Virginia Beach as well. There was an attempt to rezone some land to build one in Newport News (it would have gone right next to the VA-143 exit off I-64), but the city denied the request, citing existing supermarket density (11 within 2 miles, IIRC) and traffic concerns. Any westward expansion into the I-81 corridor and beyond would likely have to deal with fact that Kroger and Food Lion seem to have an utter stranglehold on this area. Wegmans could probably succeed by being more upmarket, but I'm not sure what the angle for Publix is over either.

Where's the Publix in Williamsburg going to be? One of the shuttered Ukrops locations, or somewhere else? (And for that matter, where's the Wegmans going?)

I'm a bit surprised Farm Fresh hasn't tried to re-enter the Richmond market since several of the Martin's stores were never sold. They briefly had a presence in the early-mid 90s under the name The Grocery Store.

Publix is going into an old Martin's location near the VA-321 / VA-199 interchange. I can't actually find a source for Wegmans, all I remember is hearing that there was one planned in Williamsburg for 2018, but haven't heard anything since. Perhaps it was cancelled after the Newport News plan was scuttled last year.

[Takumi]

Gotcha. That's in the shopping center with Target. Now that I think about it, I think the abandoned Ukrops on Mooretown, which closed before Ahold bought them, has a tenant now. I could be wrong.

[GenExpwy]

I can't actually find a source for Wegmans, all I remember is hearing that there was one planned in Williamsburg for 2018, but haven't heard anything since. Perhaps it was cancelled after the Newport News plan was scuttled last year.

Not listed at https://www.wegmans.com/about-us/future-store-locations.html

[Takumi]

Wegmans is closing its Pub restaurants permanently.
https://www.richmond.com/food-drink/restaurant-news/wegmans-to-close-all-of-its-restaurant-pubs-including-the-two-in-the-richmond-area/article_0e076d2c-187b-5375-b78b-f4762c81b2ff.html

[briantroutman]

Wegmans is closing its Pub restaurants permanently.
https://www.richmond.com/food-drink/restaurant-news/wegmans-to-close-all-of-its-restaurant-pubs-including-the-two-in-the-richmond-area/article_0e076d2c-187b-5375-b78b-f4762c81b2ff.html

I wonder what the lasting implications will be for the long-term trends toward the so-called "grocerant" , which blurs the lines separating grocery retail from take out and quick-service–and in the case of at least Wegmans, full-service–restaurants.

Prior to the pandemic, there had already been a sorting out of lower end of the grocery marketplace, with the lowest tier of grocers (like Aldi) focused solely on retailing packaged foods at bottom-dollar prices, and the the lower middle tier expanding offerings of made-to-order, ready-to-eat foods. Upscale grocers appeared to be targeting a Panera/Starbucks-type audience with indoor and outdoor dining areas creating inviting spaces to eat, drink, and perhaps even catch up on some remote work. Wegmans went further than any grocer I've encountered with its full-service Pub dining concept.

In Pennsylvania, anyway, part of the justification for dining service in grocery stores has been to facilitate sales of beer and wine, which under PA law can be sold from a restaurant operation inside a grocery store but not by the grocery store itself. But since the pandemic, a number of alcohol controls have been loosened, so the "restaurant"  charade may not be necessary in the long term.

But still, the national trend toward grocerants is independent of the peculiarities of Pennsylvania law, although it seems to be quite threatened by the current need for social distancing and the re-evaluation of in-person grocery shopping's place in our daily lives.

[Takumi]

In Pennsylvania, anyway, part of the justification for dining service in grocery stores has been to facilitate sales of beer and wine, which under PA law can be sold from a restaurant operation inside a grocery store but not by the grocery store itself. But since the pandemic, a number of alcohol controls have been loosened, so the "restaurant"  charade may not be necessary in the long term.

But still, the national trend toward grocerants is independent of the peculiarities of Pennsylvania law, although it seems to be quite threatened by the current need for social distancing and the re-evaluation of in-person grocery shopping's place in our daily lives.

Oddly, four of the twelve Pubs were here in Virginia, which only has peculiarities on liquor sales (if not consumed on premises, liquor can only be sold through state-owned ABC stores). I wonder if that was a way to get around that. As mentioned up thread, the closest Wegmans to me is half an hour away without traffic, so I can count on my hands the number of times I've been in one. Meanwhile, Publix continues aggressively expanding within the Richmond area, with at least two stores under construction in Chesterfield County (both known ones are in the Midlothian area). There's something being built in the old Martin's space in Chester next to the I-95/VA 10 interchange, but there weren't any signs for what was going there last I checked. The facade being built around the entrance looks like it could be Publix, though.

Also upthread I mentioned I was surprised Farm Fresh of Hampton Roads hadn't tried re-entering the Richmond market, not realizing at the time that they actually have a store in downtown Richmond. However, that's the only one in the area that I know of.