DATE: Monday, March 17, 1997                TAG: 9703170057

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   61 lines

MAMMOTH 3-IN-1 STORE OPENING DRAWS CROWD

And where were you at 6 a.m. Sunday?

A group of die-hard shoppers were in Chesapeake, lining up for a chance to check out the new ``3 stores, 1 roof,'' the behemoth of local grocery stores.

``I came to see what it was like,'' said Alison Atkins, a Virginia Beach resident who brought along her two children. ``Also, I heard they were giving a free bag of groceries for the first 300 people, which made it even more interesting.''

Unfortunately, Atkins wasn't the only person who had that idea. Drawn by grand-opening promotions, which included discounted prices and free groceries, hundreds of Hampton Roads shoppers lined up before the 9 a.m. grand opening in the shopping center off of Greenbrier Parkway.

``I thought 8 o'clock would be early enough,'' said Atkins, laughing. ``I was wrong.''

By opening time, the store's parking lot was crammed with cars. Customers had created formidable lines that stretched past the supermarket's large building and toward neighboring store Circuit City.

Eyeing the rapidly growing mob of shoppers, Farm Fresh chief executive officer Ronald Johnson sped through his speech. Norfolk-based Farm Fresh Inc. owns the ``3 stores, 1 roof'' outlet.

``And without further ado, we're going to cut the ribbon and let you in so you can spend some money,'' Johnson said quickly as the horde of shoppers began to move in closer.

And then, they were off - a thundering horde who steered carts as if on a mission.

Some took that mission seriously.

``And who are you?'' asked one male shopper, glaring at a reporter. ``Nobody's butting in front of me.''

``We're determined not to let anyone cut in front of us,'' Sam Tharrington, a Portsmouth woman, said politely but firmly. ``We've been here since 6 o'clock.''

At 90,000 square feet, ``3 stores, 1 roof'' is about twice the size of a traditional grocery store in Hampton Roads. The mammoth outlet is aptly named because it packs in a Rack & Sack discount grocery store, an Open Air Fresh Market and a Drug Store Plus - under one roof.

But shoppers also will find extra trimmings, like a free, supervised play area for children, a full-service bank, a smoke shop and a bagel store. Inside the store is a Central Fidelity ATM that can cash its customers' checks to the penny.

If ``3 stores, 1 roof'' succeeds, Farm Fresh executives may open more of the stores. But that's unlikely to happen until the company sorts out its finances. Farm Fresh, heavily laden with debt from a 1988 leveraged buyout, needs cash quickly, industry observers say.

In December, Farm Fresh hired a New York investment banking firm to explore possible financial solutions, which could include selling the entire company, parceling off stores or some sort of restructuring.

Farm Fresh has about 50 stores in Hampton Roads and the Shenandoah Valley area under the Farm Fresh, Rack & Sack and ``3 stores, 1 roof'' banners. ILLUSTRATION: Color ASSOCIATED PRESS photo

The Sunday grand opening of the Farm Fresh-owned ``3 stores, 1

roof'' mega-store in Chesapeake attracted hundreds of shoppers. The

first 300 customers were awarded a free bag of groceries.

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