Uncle Giuseppe's to Bow Biggest Store this Week
Debuting Wednesday in the Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.’s Port Plaza shopping center, which recently underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover “to create a more community-focused retail destination,” according to developer Edens & Avant, is the newest store in the Long Island-based Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace chain. At 54,000 square feet, the location is the grocer’s largest.
“With Uncle Giuseppe’s, PJ Cinemas (another local favorite for the past 18 years) and other popular, regional businesses located right beside national, name-brand retailers, Port Plaza now has a vibrant shopping mix that meets the diverse needs of the entire community,” noted Elizabeth Furnelli, VP at Edens & Avant, which has regional headquarters in Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Columbia, S.C. “Along with selecting the right retailers, we also wanted to create a more engaging shopping experience by adding outdoor dining areas, enhancing the center’s landscaping, improving the parking design, and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment.”
The refurbished shopping center additionally boasts state-of-the-art sustainability measures, among them high-efficiency lighting fixtures that reduce overall consumption; a white roof TPO membrane system that reduces thermal pollution; a drought-tolerant landscape design including plant species that help lower overall water consumption and air pollution related to grass cutting; and a new building sign package featuring energy- efficient LED light fixtures that reduce energy consumption while significantly increasing bulb life.
Said Philip DelPrete, founder and chairman of the board of Uncle Giuseppe’s: “We look forward to giving locals a unique Italian-inspired shopping experience that is reflective of both quality and value in everything we offer.” The chain also has Long Island locations in East Meadow, Smithtown and Port Washington. Progressive Grocer ran a Store of the Month feature on the Smithtown location in the publication’s June 2008 issue.
Expected to create around 180 jobs for the local community, the Port Jefferson Station market features fresh pasta, sausages and mozzarella made right in front of shoppers; Italian-inspired architectural and decorative details such as a hand-painted sky ceiling, scenes from Italy throughout the store, and Roman columns in the mozzarella room; a fresh produce market; an Italian bakery; capacious seafood and meat departments; a full-service deli; a pizzeria and hot-food section with plenty of seating; a candy store with chocolate fountains; an espresso bar; a floral section; a fresh cheese department with hundreds of varieties from all over the world; and daily prepared sushi.
“With Uncle Giuseppe’s, PJ Cinemas (another local favorite for the past 18 years) and other popular, regional businesses located right beside national, name-brand retailers, Port Plaza now has a vibrant shopping mix that meets the diverse needs of the entire community,” noted Elizabeth Furnelli, VP at Edens & Avant, which has regional headquarters in Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Columbia, S.C. “Along with selecting the right retailers, we also wanted to create a more engaging shopping experience by adding outdoor dining areas, enhancing the center’s landscaping, improving the parking design, and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment.”
The refurbished shopping center additionally boasts state-of-the-art sustainability measures, among them high-efficiency lighting fixtures that reduce overall consumption; a white roof TPO membrane system that reduces thermal pollution; a drought-tolerant landscape design including plant species that help lower overall water consumption and air pollution related to grass cutting; and a new building sign package featuring energy- efficient LED light fixtures that reduce energy consumption while significantly increasing bulb life.
Said Philip DelPrete, founder and chairman of the board of Uncle Giuseppe’s: “We look forward to giving locals a unique Italian-inspired shopping experience that is reflective of both quality and value in everything we offer.” The chain also has Long Island locations in East Meadow, Smithtown and Port Washington. Progressive Grocer ran a Store of the Month feature on the Smithtown location in the publication’s June 2008 issue.
Expected to create around 180 jobs for the local community, the Port Jefferson Station market features fresh pasta, sausages and mozzarella made right in front of shoppers; Italian-inspired architectural and decorative details such as a hand-painted sky ceiling, scenes from Italy throughout the store, and Roman columns in the mozzarella room; a fresh produce market; an Italian bakery; capacious seafood and meat departments; a full-service deli; a pizzeria and hot-food section with plenty of seating; a candy store with chocolate fountains; an espresso bar; a floral section; a fresh cheese department with hundreds of varieties from all over the world; and daily prepared sushi.