Shop ‘n Save to Open Store in Pa. Food Desert

The new Shop 'n Save store scheduled to open on Dec. 11 in Youngwood, Pa., will be the first full-service grocery store in the area in a quarter-century. Store owners Tom and Debbie Jamieson, who have spent more than 45 years in the grocery and retail business and 25 years with Shop 'n Save, own the new Youngwood Commons shopping plaza as well as the 36,000-square-foot supermarket that will anchor the development.

"This new development will be a wonderful destination for Youngwood and New Stanton residents and serve as a source of growth for the community," said Tom Jamieson. "As a former New Stanton and Fort Allen resident, this community holds a very special place in our hearts."

The grocery store will carry a wide variety of fresh produce, prepared foods, expanded dairy and frozen food sections, a full-service deli, bakery items, fresh seafood, and meat with on-site butchers. Youngwood Commons will also include a Beer Warehouse offering a range of craft and import beers, among other retailers.

Price-conscious customers can take advantage of Shop 'n Save's double coupons, weekly specials and everyday savings. Those who apply for a Shop 'n Save Perks Card will get special discounts, as well as Pump Perks redeemable at more than 130 participating Sunoco gas stations, including one across the street from the development.

The entire Youngwood Commons shopping center is expected to create around 250 new jobs.

According to a Shop 'n Save spokeswoman, the last store under the banner to open in a food desert was the 29,500-square-foot Center Avenue location, owned and operated by Jeff Ross, which, when it debuted in October 2013 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, was the first full-service grocer in the community in more than 30 years.

The Youngwood grocery store is the Jamiesons' 10th Shop 'n Save. There are more than 100 independently owned and operated Shop 'n Save stores in western Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.