Newest Price Chopper Packed With Green Features

The just-opened 40,000-square-foot Price Chopper Supermarket at 167 W. Main Street in Hopkinton, Mass., offers a host of state-of-the-art sustainable features in its bid to achieve certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program

Among the store’s green equipment and technologies are a progressive stormwater management plan, a high-albedo roof system, water-efficient plumbing, more than 20 percent recycled material content, high-efficiency lighting, HVAC domestic hot-water and refrigeration systems, and participation in the EPA’s Green Power Partnership agreement, which purchases renewable energy credits (RECS), as well as minimal on-site waste generation during construction. Freezers and cases are lit with LED bulbs, which burn brightly while using less energy and last longer than traditional fluorescent bulbs. Glass doors in these departments help to keep the cold air in, saving energy and keeping the temperature in the aisles comfortable for shoppers.

“We focused our sustainable efforts to make the shopping experience as pleasurable as possible, while reducing our utility consumption and thereby better controlling costs at the consumer level,” noted Price Chopper president and CEO Jerry Golub.

A traditional night-before-the-opening "Preview Party" at the new store raised more than $3,000 for Hopkinton Youth Soccer, the Baypath Humane Society and Project Just Because. Attendees donated $5 each to enjoy hot and cold buffet stations throughout the store, as well as entertainment. All of the proceeds, plus a match of $1,500 from Price Chopper were divided among the three organizations.

Other store highlights include a variety of gluten-free, natural, organic, and locally produced and manufactured products; fresh natural beef, chicken and bison; more than 500 varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables; a fresh, full-service seafood department; a full-service deli; an extensive foodservice offering; a fresh bakery; and a Central Market Florist Shop.

The Golub Corp. owns and operates 129 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Schenectady, N.Y.-based Golub’s 23,000 associates collectively own more than 50 percent of the company’s privately held stock, making it one of the nation’s largest privately held corporations that is predominantly employee-owned.