Wegmans Readies Pennsylvania, New York Stores
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is preparing to debut its Astor Place store in New York City on Oct. 18. Located at 770 Broadway, the 87,500-square-feet store occupies the space on both the street and lower level.
According to the company, more than 600 newly hired employees will help create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience in an atmosphere that reflects the original architecture of the historic Wanamaker Building.
Part of its distinctive shopping experience includes a seafood department, or Sakanaya (“fish market” in Japanese), unlike any other the company has opened to date. The East Coast retailer said that customers will find an expanded seafood department that includes some of the most unique, freshest and highest-quality seafood in the world, including hundreds of species from Japan’s premier fishmonger and retailer, Uoriki (“fish power” in Japanese), housed at the famous Toyosu Fish Market (formerly Tsukiji) in Japan.
“Our seafood department at the Astor Place store is unique. When customers come down the escalator, they will find our Sakanaya and seafood stations directly behind the produce department,” noted Wegmans Fishmonger and Sakanaya student Adrian Hutchins. “We have two service counters that face each other: one placed in the middle of the department and the other against the wall. The center station will be the Sakanaya market, where customers can watch us prepare the fish for them.”
Additionally, the on-site dining room, featuring a Sushi Bar and the Champagne-Oyster Bar at Astor Place, will be opening in the first half of 2024. The Astor Place store will be the second in New York City, following the 2019 opening of Wegmans Brooklyn at the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Meanwhile, Wegmans is now hiring and training for its new Yardley, Pa., location. The 88,000-square-foot store is located in the Prickett Preserve development on Stony Hill Road. Set to open in early 2024, the store will have all of the traditional departments that Wegmans is known for: bakery, produce, pizza, deli, meat/seafood, sushi and more.
The store will employ more than 400 people, the majority of whom will be new to the company and hired locally. The Yardley team is currently accepting online applications for a variety of part-time openings across every department. Hiring for full-time jobs began earlier this year and is ongoing for select positions, including culinary positions, as well as roles in perishable departments (seafood, produce, meat and bakery).
The store will also host an in-person hiring event for all positions on Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hiring event will be held at the Yardley Hiring Office, located at 770 Township Line Road, Suite 325.
“We’re looking for people who are passionate about food and share our core values of respect, caring and high standards,” said Yardley Store Manager Bill Platt. “Candidates aren’t required to have a retail background, as our employees receive in-depth, on the job training. At Wegmans, you’ll have endless opportunities to develop and grow your career.”
Besides the Yardley store, Wegmans will open a location in Lake Grove, N.Y., in 2024.
With its 53,000-plus employees, family-owned Wegmans operates more than 100 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Massachusetts. The company is No. 37 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Wegmans a Top Regional to watch in 2023 and one of this year’s 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
