KENNEBUNK — A Hannaford supermarket will open this spring in the former Stop ‘n’ Shop location at the Shops at Long Bank Shopping Center on Route 1.
The purchase of the 56,800-square-foot supermarket and a 4,300-square-foot adjacent retail space was announced Tuesday. The new store is expected to employ about 150 full- and part-time associates.
“We think it’s fabulous,” said Kennebunk Town Manager Barry Tibbetts. “It’s a great location and it’s designed for a grocery store. The jobs are good news, too.”
Along with the Hannaford supermarket, a Sebago Brewing Company restaurant and brewery is slated to fill another vacant building at The Shops at Long Bank, formerly occupied by a Ricetta’s restaurant. An opening date is not yet known for Sebago Brewing, a company that started in South Portland in 1998 and later expanded to Portland, Gorham and Scarborough.
“We’re back where we were nine months ago,” said Tibbetts, who added that the town did not actively promote the retail locations, beyond making the property owners aware of its support.
“They had a real nice property and they went out and found tenants,” said Tibbetts.
According to a statement from Hannaford, changes that must be finished in advance of the opening include “new point-of-sale technology systems and registers, décor and signage changes and new merchandising.”
“More and more, the convenience of being able to shop local, close to where we live and work, is becoming a requirement of customers,” said Michael Norton, Hannaford spokesman. “With our quality and prices and the good location, we expect to do very well there. We’re excited to be able to serve that market.”
The new Hannaford will feature a butcher shop, produce and seafood departments, a bakery and deli, local foods, a large selection of natural and organic foods, and a pharmacy, according to a Hannaford press release.
The decision to move into the former Stop ”˜n’ Shop location was due to opportunity, and was not part of a major expansion plan, although Hannaford had “looked at the Kennebunk community before,” said Norton.
Both Ricetta’s and Stop ‘n’ Shop closed earlier this year, leaving major vacancies in the new shopping center.
Stop ‘n’ Shop was the anchor store for the Shops at Long Bank when it opened in June 2007, employing approximately 140 full and part-time associates. It closed in October of this year with f details regarding the decision.
Losing the store, which was the only major supermarket in town, “was an inconvenience for a number of people in many ways,” said Tibbetts.
Resident Christina Conway had circulated a petition for the Stop ‘n’ Shop to stay, gathering 14,000 signatures, citing the convenience of having a supermarket close to home.
She’s not happy that Hannaford will be moving in, however.
“I didn’t find that to be good news,” she said. “I feel Hannaford has been forced upon us.”
Conway said she believes that Hannaford “played a major role” in the closure of Stop ‘n’ Shop and said she will refuse to shop there.
“The information I’ve gathered tells me that Hannaford didn’t want competition in town,” she said.
Negotiations to bring the Stop ”˜n’ Shop to town were initially held up by a lawsuit filed by Hannaford Brothers in 2005, which tried to keep its competitor out of the state by challenging the Kennebunk Planning Board’s approval of the project. Hannaford lost its case in York County District Court in 2006 and decided against appealing the decision.
Conway said she feels the residents should be allowed to vote again on the development now that the company is different and said she may decide to organize a boycott against Hannaford.
Currently, the closest Hannaford supermarkets are located about seven miles away from Kennebunk, in Biddeford and Wells. Kennebunk does have a grocery store, the Garden Street Market, nearby, which is a wholesale client of Hannaford products. Owner Dan Bowen said that his store has had a long-term relationship with Hannaford and he doesn’t expect that to change with the new store coming in.
“Anytime a new competitor comes to town, it can be challenging,” he said Wednesday. “Our focus is to take care of the customers who choose to shop with us, just as we’ve always done, to continue to offer fair prices, good quality and great customer service.”
— Staff Writers Dina Mendros and Jeff Lagasse contributed to this report. City Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 322 or kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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