The newly expanded and remodeled Kroger on South Main Street is a favorite place to shop for many Blacksburg residents.
“We have a full nutritional organic section, a bistro that serves great food, four chefs and cheeses from many different countries,” said Jennifer Roop, co-manager of Kroger.
But these new features did not come easily. The company had to first get approval from the Blacksburg Town Council for the project, which included the removal of four other businesses from Gables Shopping Center and the relocation of the ABC Liquor store. After almost 20 months of planning and construction, Kroger celebrated its grand re-opening on July 16, 2009.
The new store is almost 90,000 square feet, Roop said. As one of the largest Kroger stores in the mid-Atlantic region, the store has a lot to offer shoppers.
“I come here because it’s convenient to my apartment and the prices aren’t too bad,” shopper Brett Hutchinson said.
Other shoppers come because they know the local employees of Kroger.
“I’ll tell you why I’m shopping here,” Nancy Sweeny said. “My son works in produce, and we came here because we needed to stock his shelves.”
And with the many new features the expanded Kroger offers, customers will probably be coming back.