Tops Coming to Syracuse, N.Y.

Tops Markets LLC will expand into Syracuse, N.Y., with a new store on the city’s underserved South Side. The location will be the Williamsville, N.Y.-based chain’s 133rd companywide.

Renovations to the 36,000-square-foot space, formerly the site of a P&C store, are expected to be completed in time for a late-2012 opening. Tops will create as many as 100 new positions to operate the Valley Plaza store.

“One of our highest priorities is to invest in those communities where the need for a grocery store is greatest,” noted Tops president and CEO Frank Curci. “The South Side area in the city of Syracuse has been without a grocery store for three years, and city officials and residents have graciously opened their arms and welcomed us into their community. I have no doubt that Tops is the right fit, and that we’ll live up to our promise to provide our new neighbors with a wide variety of fresh food at an exceptional value, within a one-stop shopping experience.”

“The new Tops store will be a welcome addition to our community, serving a critical need for access to quality, affordable food options,” added Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner.

Tops is investing in the community with the aid of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, the Empire State Development Corp., the city of Syracuse, and the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. Additionally, in late June, the state Public Authorities Control Board Upstate approved a $275,000 City By City grant supporting the project.

“The expansion of Tops to the South Side is great news for the health of the community, and also for our local family farmers and the regional economy,” said James Fayle, Central New York Regional Director for Empire State Development, of the collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Curci pledged that Tops would pay special attention to the community’s unique needs through such means as emphasizing local items like fresh produce at the Valley Plaza location.

Over the next several months, renovations to the store will include the addition of full-service deli, bakery, floral and seafood departments; a meat department, where meat is cut fresh daily; an expansive produce department; dairy and frozen food sections; a bulk food area; and Tops’ Carry Out Café offering prepared foods. Among the store’s further features will be six self-checkout stations, a bottle redemption area, a customer service center and cutting-edge energy management systems. The extensive renovations are part of the chain’s ongoing company-wide, multimillion-dollar capital investment plan.

Tops operates 132 supermarkets – 127 company-owned and five franchise locations – and employs more than 14,000 associates in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.