Goal is to have new Kroger store open by end of 2014
kroger
A rendering of the design for the new Euclid Kroger
Kroger officials announced today that they plan to close their Euclid Avenue grocery store at 6 p.m. March 15 in order to begin the process of constructing a larger facility at the same location.
Tim MGurk, a Kroger public affairs manager, said his company anticipates it will take about two weeks to clear the store of remaining products and fixtures, after which demolition of current structure would begin.
McGurk said the goal is to have the site cleared and the new store opened by the end of December 2014. “It’s going to be very fast paced,” he said.
The designs for the new grocery store have not been altered, McGurk said. “The plans haven’t changed. We’re still planning on building an 86,000-square-foot facility, with a basement prep area and the rooftop parking that has been such a topic of conversation,” he said.
During neighborhood meetings regarding the new structure, many residents voiced concern about having difficulty getting to an alternative grocery store during the time that the new store is being constructed. No plan has been made about providing some sort of transportation or shuttle service. “It’s still a point of conversation,” McGurk said.
McGurk also said a decision had not been made regarding a temporary pharmacy during construction. “Our goal is to operate a temporary pharmacy,” he said. “It hasn’t been decided yet if it’s going to be in a mobile trailer, which we’ve done at some other sites, or if we’re going to try to be in one of the existing buildings around the property. That decision hasn’t been finalized yet.”
Currently, the Euclid Kroger has 125 associates. McGurk said all of them would be offered the chance to work at other area Kroger stores during construction, and once the new facility opens, the new Kroger store will employee closer to 200 associates.