THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Saturday, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511181617 SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Farm Fresh Inc. is considering opening Rack & Sack discount stores in several new markets, including Roanoke, Lynchburg and Northern Virginia, the company's chief executive officer said Friday.
The grocery stores would be formatted after the company's new Rack & Sack operation in Richmond. That 82,000-square-foot store, which opened earlier this month, includes a large perishables department, a dry groceries area and a Drug Emporium pharmacy.
Michael E. Julian, president and chief executive officer of Norfolk-based Farm Fresh, said the company has no firm expansion plans for Roanoke. But he indicated that the company has been looking for sites and believes the area could support two Rack & Sacks.
In Roanoke, Rack & Sack would compete with market leader Kroger, Food Lion and Harris Teeter.
``We think it's a market that needs the kind of discount store we can bring there,'' Julian said.
Farm Fresh also is interested in Lynchburg and Northern Virginia, he said.
Julian launched the Rack & Sack warehouse stores in 1993, but they didn't begin pumping cash into the company until recently.
The Richmond store is the newest Rack & Sack model. But that format, which differs from the Rack & Sack warehouses in Hampton Roads, will not appear in this region because it would compete with Farm Fresh stores.
Farm Fresh currently has 11 Rack & Sack stores. Next year, it plans to convert several regular stores to Rack & Sacks and remodel some Farm Fresh stores. by CNB