Kroger plans to build a new 65,000-s.f. store that will replace its current Lexington, Ky., facility located at 704 Euclid Ave. WKYT.com reports that construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2014, starting with the demolition of the existing store. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2014 and will include rooftop parking.
The new store will be built on the same location as the current store, but it will be unlike any other Kroger store in the nation. The unique architectural designs will include ground-level parking and an additional 125-space parking deck on the roof of the new store. An elevator will carry the customers and their shopping cart to and from the ground level to the parking deck. There will be an additional 31,000 s.f. below ground for food preparation, storage and employee break rooms.
The current 38,000 s.f. store opened in 1980.
“Our Kroger team understands that this is a special location and it deserves a unique design to compliment the neighborhood. After many months of study, we have developed a plan that we think best meets the needs of our Euclid Avenue customers. I appreciate the ideas and feedback that city officials and various neighborhood groups have offered throughout this process,” Kroger Real Estate Manager Danny Lethco tells WKYT. “It is very rare for Kroger to close a store during a remodel or store replacement, but the end result will be a new state-of-the-art store that will meet the needs of our customers for decades to come.”
When completed, the new store will offer expanded products and services in all departments with an emphasis on produce, meat and deli. Specialty departments will include a walk-in beer cave, a sushi bar, a fresh seafood department, soup and salad bar, a specialty cheese shop, a Kitchen Place, a Nature’s Market health food section, a drive-thru pharmacy and more. It also will include an upscale seating area with Wi-Fi, a fireplace, big screen TVs and lounge chairs.
When reopened, the new store should create no fewer than 50 additional jobs. Kroger plans to provide an off-site temporary pharmacy during the construction process.
