THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410010314
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Hannaford Bros. Co., a value-oriented supermarket chain based in Maine, has been looking at several sites for stores in Hampton Roads.
``It would be the logical place for us to grow,'' said Art Aleshire, Hannaford's vice president of real estate. ``There are opportunities all across the Southeast.''
While most of Hannaford's 115 stores are in New England, the chain recently entered the Southeast with its purchase of Wilmington, N.C.-based Wilson's Supermarkets. Wilson's, previously a family-owned chain, has 20 grocery stores in the Carolinas.
Wilson's stores average 35,000 square feet, and try to emphasize low prices and service.
Aleshire would not comment on how many or when the stores in Hampton Roads will open, or what they'll be called. Hannaford can choose from the Wilson's name or several others it uses in New England.
``We have a very good idea what we'll open,'' he said. ``We'll let that be a surprise for our consumers.''
Retail analysts say Hannaford probably will use the Wilson's name.
``To me, it makes sense,'' said Sally Wallick, a retail analyst with the investment firm Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. in Baltimore. ``Wilson's is an established name in the market.''
Members of the real estate industry in Hampton Roads recently have suggested that Hannaford has its eye on Virginia Beach but has run into trouble securing a site there.
Hannaford officials reportedly were upset because they had chosen a site in the Princess Anne area of Virginia Beach, only to find upscale competitor Harris Teeter nipping at their heels, real estate sources said.
Hannaford, located near Portland, Maine, had more than $2 billion in sales last year. Its supermarkets in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont operate under the names Shop 'n Save, Alexander's Shop 'n Save, Martin's Shop 'n Save, and Sun Foods. by CNB