Wegmans fills Delaware’s cart with good news

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Happy Friday,

News that Wegmans plans to come to Delaware marked the end of a period when it appeared that the 100-store  Rochester, NY grocer would bypass the state.

To reported applause, Pettinaro announced that the store would anchor a redeveloped Barley Mill Plaza off Route 141 and Lancaster Avenue west of Wilmington.

The project at the former DuPont site would include retail, offices and residential uses. The plan still requires a county OK, but with Wegmans as a popular anchor, the path toward approval looks much smoother.

Until the recent announcement, Wegmans’  large store footprint that includes a restaurant along with large-scale deli and carryout departments did not seem to fit in with current zoning patterns and demographics in New Castle County.

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But there were indications that the family-owned chain was eying the market. When their first area store opened off  Route 202  in Glen Mills opened a few years ago, promotional dollars were initially aimed at store fans in northern Delaware.

One thing is certain. Wegmans will disrupt the supermarket business in New Castle County.

At first glance, it’s news for Acme, which has been struggling to reverse a long-running decline in market share as Shoprite and to a lesser extent, Food Lion expanded in strategic locations.

Acme has been getting by with smaller stores in some locations in need of big upgrades that could get steamrolled. Acme has as many as four stores that are vulnerable to the pulling power of  Wegmans.

Acme’s parent company last year closed a Safeway in Brandywine Hundred that was popular with shoppers but was across the road from an Acme.

Wegmans could also make things tougher for some specialty retailers, given the sheer size of its specialty departments. We saw that happen along Route 202.

But the overall effect will be positive as the supermarket adds another choice for shoppers and encourages competitors to step up their game.

No firm date for a store opening has been announced. But given the enthusiasm over the news, Wegmans fans will push for fast track approvals, rather than the drawn-out process we see too often.

Have a good weekend. We’ll be back on Monday. – Doug and Sharon Rainey.

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