Supermarket chain Big Y said Tuesday it plans to open locations in Brookfield and Westport, Connecticut, inside plazas that had been earmarked for Amazon Fresh supermarkets, reports local news source News Times.
“Like any retailer, we periodically assess our portfolio of stores and make optimization decisions that can lead to closing existing locations or choosing not to pursue building a planned location," said a spokesperson for Amazon in a statement made Wednesday. "We’ll continue to open new Whole Foods Market stores and will do so selectively with Amazon Fresh as we see results we like. We’re encouraged by early signs of our new store design in Chicago and Southern California and will proceed adaptively.”
Before Tuesday, Amazon Fresh allegedly told Brookfield officials multiple times that it was interested in opening a store in the location.
“Amazon Fresh has told us that they have decided to 'pivot’ and they will no longer be opening a store in Brookfield at this location, and they have reached an agreement with Big Y to take over the space,” Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said in an email.
The Big Y in Bridgeport is expected to open in the late spring or early summer. No timeline has been set for the Westport location.
These new locations, along with one in Westborough, Massachusetts, advance the retailer’s aggressive growth strategy throughout New England which includes a new supermarket currently under construction in Middletown, Connecticut, and one that is planned for Uxbridge, Massachusetts, noted the retailer. In all, these locations will bring Big Y’s total number of supermarkets to 77 stores.
“All of us at Big Y are excited about an opportunity to enter into these communities with our unique fresh and local foods along with our exceptional and knowledgeable employees,” Big Y President and CEO Michael D’Amour said in a statement. “These locations fit nicely within our current store footprint.” Full Story
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