Deals Draw Many

4-2-10

Hannaford Celebrates Renovation


By LAURA COX

You might have wondered.
Three hundred people lined up in front of Hannaford at 7 a.m. Saturday, March 27?
It turns out they were there waiting for the supermarket’s grand re-opening after it had undergone renovations for the past four months.
And it wasn’t just curiosity.
The 300 were braving the cold snap because Hannaford was handing out gift cards qualifying the bearer to save $5, $50, up to $250 on “mystery values” throughout the store.
Store Manager Angelo Malone said all the gift cards were gone in 15 minutes.
The store’s renovations began in November with updates to the Southside building’s exterior, the upstairs offices and, on the main floor, the ceiling and lighting.  The idea was to not in any way interfere with customers over the busy holiday shopping season.
The holidays over, work began in earnest on Jan. 2 with the replacement of display shelves and cases. First the deli space, then the bakery, next the “fresh” department – meat, seafood, produce.
Then the pharmacy.  Next, crews began upgrading shelving in the center of the store and worked outwards, removing every item in stock at one point or another and replacing it onto new shelving.
The renovations allowed the store to reorganize sections that didn’t make sense before, said Malone, who has been managing the store for the last two years and has been with the company since 1991,  when he started as a bagger.
“The goal is to create ease of shopping,” he said. “The aisles and registers are wider, and the shelving is 6 inches lower now, so you can reach all the way to the top.”
 Additional changes to create easy shopping include an increase in the number aisle markers –there are now two markers per aisle instead of one – and the markers are now three-sided so they have maximum visibility from anywhere in the building. The store also has all new shopping carts, kid’s carts, and mart carts. 
During the renovations, the store hired on a multitude of temporary employees to wash shelving of any dust and guide customers to the items they were looking for.
It was not usual during these months to be approached by a Hannaford associate and asked if there was anything they could help you find. The most questioned after item was the Bread – it is in Aisle 10 if you are wondering.
Most of the construction was done overnight when there was minimal customer impact and they changed their hours so they were not open 24 hours a day during a portion of the week so they could do any dirty work then and have everything cleaned up and unwrapped by morning.
With the new shelving and cases in place Hannaford is able to add about 5000 new products they did not carry in the store previously, Malone said. The biggest impact was made in the frozen aisles where the multi-sided “freezer pods” were removed and the more traditional aisle-long cabinets were installed. Instead of having just two doors of pizzas there are now nine, and frozen snacks now take up 10 doors instead of just one. A total of 40 more freezer doors were added to the department. Additionally the new freezer and refrigerator cases are much more energy efficient and will save the store a lot in energy costs.
Customers looking for small or special cuts of meat can now meet the butcher behind Hannaford’s new butcher shop. It was not a part of the original plans, but Malone said he thought there was a good demand for it and it has been well received by customers.
“We can now provide more customer service to shoppers,” said Meat Department Manager Frank Vendemnia, adding that he expects sales to increase now because customers who only wanted one of something like a pork chop can purchase just one. They also offer more in the way of marinated and rubbed meat, potatoes and shaved beef.
Malone said that since the renovations customers have commented that the store looks bigger, is brighter, and “beautiful.”
“It is so much easier to shop now- and easier to look at,” said Malone.