On Friday, Shoprite opened expanded supermarket in the Four Seasons Shopping Center off Route 896, south of Newark on Friday.
SuperFresh first opened the Glasgow-area store, only to close the location as parent company A&P struggled. A second attempt by A&P to open the store under the Pathmark name also failed.
The store follows the multi-million dollar formula of the overhauled former Safeway site in Governor’s Square, Bear, with a major expansion of an existing supermarket. As was the case with the Governor’s Square location, Shoprite expanded into nearby retail space. The liquor store adjacent to the store went to a new building constructed at the shopping center.
The Bear store has performed well for the Kenny family- owned Delaware Supermarkets and follows the success of a store in the Wilmington Riverfront area. Other Kenny Shoprite stores are in the Chestnut Hill Plaza near Newark, First State Plaza in Stanton, and north Wilmington.
The family has been active in community and charitable activities in northern Delaware and also has has the Kenny Family Foundation.
The Kennys reportedly passed on the Four Seasons site when first built but returned later as momentum built for the Shoprite brand in Delaware.
The new Shoprite will be a formidable competitor for the company, which has a supermarket off Route 896 and never recovered from the acquisition of Genuardi’s stores. Safeway has sold off or closed Genuardi’s locations, but held on to two northern Delaware markets that had been part of the highly regarded chain.
Shoprite (Wakefern Foods) is a cooperative wholesaler that is owned by members like Delaware Supermarkets. The annual Food Trade News report put Shoprite in the No. 1 slot in the Delaware Valley (not including New Castle County). Shoprite is also moving into the Baltimore area.
In Delaware, as competitors, like Pathmark, Safeway and Acme struggle, Delaware Supermarkets has grown steadily.
Even though it does not have enough locations to wrest the top spot from Acme, Shoprite appears headed to the No. 2 slot.
Acme still has key locations in Pike Creek and Hockessin. Pathmark has four strategically placed stores in New Castle, Newark, Lancaster Pike, and Kirkwood Highway, west of Wilmington. Food Line has aggressively placed smaller grocery stores throughout the county.
Walmart has yet to make an impact north of the C&D Canal, although it does have a store in nearby Elkton, Md.
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