Hannaford Supermarkets to open new-concept store

For Immediate Release: 
June 9, 2016

 

Contact:
Eric Blom
207-885-3132
     
News Release

 

Hannaford Supermarkets to open new-concept store

 

New Hampshire's largest Hannaford will offer in-store kitchen and café; specialty-shop style departments; click-and-collect grocery ordering and other innovative features

 

Bedford, N.H. – Hannaford Supermarkets will unveil its largest and most-innovative supermarket in New Hampshire with a Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, June 18 at 7 a.m.

 

The 68,000-square-foot Bedford Hannaford Supermarket & Pharmacy represents a new design concept for the grocer, providing a wealth of additional conveniences and products, while maintaining the everyday low prices available at other Manchester-area Hannaford stores.  Pilot projects elsewhere, extensive consumer research and Hannaford's latest, best insights about how to meet customer needs contributed to the store design.

 

"The Bedford Hannaford will surprise and delight customers," said Store Manager Suzanne Riel, who grew up in Manchester and is a 24-year resident of Goffstown. "Many departments at the Bedford Hannaford will operate almost like specialty shops within the supermarket, offering huge product selections and free services."

 

Features include:

• Customers will be have access to made-to-order food, such as burritos; stir fry; fresh-baked pizza; gourmet grilled cheese; custom salads and sandwiches; and other offerings that they can take out or enjoy in the Hannaford Kitchen and Café
• Busy shoppers can order their groceries online and pick them up curbside through Hannaford to Go.  The pharmacy offers drive-through service
• A 700-square-foot community room will be made available to non-profit groups looking for meeting space
• Associates in Produce, Bakery, Meat and Seafood will offer individualized, free services such as cutting particular fruits and vegetables at the customer's request; providing free spice rubs of meat and seafood; freshly squeezing orange juice; slicing fresh-baked loaves of bread to order; and other services at no charge
• In our specialty cheese shop, mozzarella will be made fresh daily, wheels of cheese will be cracked, cheese will be cut to order and the extensive selection of items will be informed by Certified Cheese Professional Deborah Webster
• The brew room will offer a huge selection of more than 230 kinds of craft beer and a bomber station with more than 50, while the enormous wine selection of more than 900 bottles will be guided by Ralph Hersom, an award-winning sommelier.

 

"The décor of this store will be completely new and reflects our commitment to the local community and producers; our

roots as a northern New England grocer since 1883; and our focus on high-quality, fresh food," said John Fifield, a lifelong New Hampshire resident and Hannaford's Director of Operations for the Manchester area. "The store layout draws from the latest research about how we make the shopping experience easier for customers."

 

What: Bedford Hannaford Supermarket & Pharmacy Grand Opening Celebration
Where: The new Hannaford at 7 Kilton Road in Bedford
When: Beginning at 7 a.m., Saturday, June 18, 2016
Details: Activities include 7 a.m. ribbon cutting, sampling of local foods and other products, gift cards randomly valued between $5 and $250 for the first 500 customers, items given away, raffle, coupons, and other activities

 

The store will open the morning after Hannaford's existing supermarket at nearby 5 Colby Court in Bedford closes; the new store will have 40 more associates for a total to 175 full- and part-time jobs.  Hannaford has 36 stores in New Hampshire and is one of the state's largest employers.

 

In conjunction with the Grand Opening, Hannaford is donating to a variety of community groups:
• Bedford Public Library - $2,000
• Bedford Historical Society - $2,000
• Elliott Hospital's Advanced Nutrition Therapy Programs - $2,000
• Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire - $1,500
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New Hampshire - $1,200
• New Horizons for New Hampshire- $500 in Gift Cards
• Bedford Food Pantry - $500 in Gift Cards
• Gospel Light Food Pantry - $500 in Gift Cards

 

"When customers enter the store they will see beautiful images of Bedford, because we wanted to emphasize that Hannaford is as committed as ever to our local food pantries, schools, farmers and other community partners," Riel said.  "We are excited to show the whole Bedford-area community all that their new store has to offer."

 

About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 189 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs more than 27,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.