Last updated on March 24th, 2014 at 12:22 pm
FoodsCo, a banner of Food 4 Less, will open its first Oakland, Calif., store on Wednesday, March 26, following the ribbon-cutting at 7:30 a.m. The new 80,000-s.f. supermarket is located in East Oakland’s Foothill Square Shopping Center at 10790 MacArthur Blvd.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to open our newest FoodsCo store in East Oakland and the opportunity it gives us to expand our presence in The Bay Area,” said FoodsCo President Bryan Kaltenbach. “We believe East Oakland will be a great FoodsCo community and we look forward to offering our unique brand of friendly service to customers who appreciate quality and value at everyday low prices.”
FoodsCo currently operates five stores in The Bay Area: two in San Francisco and one each in Pittsburg, Redwood City and Richmond.
The Foothill Square FoodsCo is expected to help boost East Oakland’s economic vitality and attract additional investment and development to the area. The new store is the first major supermarket to open in the community in more than 20 years.
“It gives me great pleasure and honor to welcome FoodsCo to the city of Oakland and, in particular, to the new Foothill Square located in the council district that I represent,” said Oakland Vice Mayor Larry E. Reid. “On behalf of the residents of Oakland, and on behalf of the entire city council, we welcome FoodsCo as our community partner in providing quality foods, goods and services to an area that has been anticipating this opportunity for most of my 17 years on this council.
“It has been my honor to work with the representatives of FoodsCo to bring this dream to fruition,” he added. “The relationship between FoodsCo and our residents in Oakland will only serve as a true testimony of what can be accomplished with dedication and perseverance to bring quality to our neighborhoods.”
FoodsCo aims to provide shoppers with quality, selection and value at the lowest prices in town, according to the grocer. The new FoodsCo will feature a broad array of fresh produce; a fully staffed meat department; fresh seafood department; full-service bakery featuring fresh breads, rolls and desserts; and a service deli offering foods to go.
The store will employ approximately 175 full- and part-time associates, the majority of whom are new hires from the surrounding community. Store Manager Eric Trempel began his career in 1995 as a part-time Customer 1st clerk. He joined FoodsCo in 2003 and was promoted to store manager in 2004. Trempel most recently managed a FoodsCo store in Fresno.
“We look forward to opening a new store in this community where residents have given our team such a warm welcome,” said Trempel. “It is great having the opportunity to bring fresh foods, value and convenience to East Oakland. We invite everyone to stop by on grand opening day and take advantage of our grand opening specials and promotions.”
Vice Mayer Reid said, “For so long the residents of Oakland have spent their hard-earned income in other cities for quality foods and goods. Now with an organization as prominent as FoodsCo, we open our doors to surrounding cities to visit the new Foothill Square Shopping Center and to experience the changes that are finally coming true for the city of Oakland.”
The store’s grand opening celebration Wednesday will feature the presentation of $15,000 in grants from FoodsCo to Grass Valley Elementary School, Elmhurst Community Prep School, Castlemont High School, Ile Omode School, Elevate Oakland Foundation and Youth UpRising.
Kroger-owned Food 4 Less—based in Compton—operates 146 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners of Food 4 Less in Southern California, Nevada, Illinois and Indiana and FoodsCo in Central and Northern California.
