Wegmans Food Markets’ first New England store, located at Routes 9 and 20 in Northborough, Mass., opened its on Oct. 16. The 138,000-square-foot store stocks 70,000 products and features a traditional, farm-inspired decor.
“As you approach the store, there’s a rooster-themed weathervane atop a cupola in the center of a gabled roof," stated Corinne Chiogna, who led the grocer’s design team on the project. “ It’s a reminder of food’s roots in agriculture. The stonework on the face of the building, the diagonal bracing, and soft neutral colors with red accents on the roof make you think of a barn in the countryside. We chose traditional rather than trendy themes because we wanted everyone to feel comfortable in this space.”
The rural theme continues inside the store, with such features as a hand-painted mural over the coffee bar that depicts Wegmans’ Organic Farm on the edge of Canandaigua Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Every half-hour, the barn door in the mural opens, the sun lights up, and a crowing rooster pops out of the three-dimensional barn.
Reminiscent of a European village, the store’s departments are set up as different shops. Each one offers mouthwatering, eye-catching displays; in Charcuterie area, gourmet hams from Spain, Germany and Italy are hung on racks.
“Think of it as being an adventure,” stated Kevin Russell, the store’s manager. “It’s a lot to take in all at once, but our people are trained to help each step of the way, from finding exactly want you want, to answering questions like ‘Tell me an easy way to prepare tilapia that my family will love.’”
Additional store features include a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating for 300.
Rochester, N.Y.-based, family-owned Wegmans operates 79-store supermarkets in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.