EAST SYRACUSE, NY, 2017-Jul-06 — /EPR Retail News/ —
WHAT: 40th Anniversary of the 1977 opening of Wegmans Food Markets’ James Street store.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 8, 2017
WHERE: Wegmans James St. 4256 James Street East Syracuse, NY 13057
315-437-1534
The James St. Wegmans Food Market has something special to say to customers on Saturday, July 8: Thanks for 40 great years together, and let’s party! Special events include:
Fun for kids: The East Syracuse Fire Department and the East Area Volunteer Emergency Services ambulance company will bring trucks that kids can climb inside to explore. The Dewitt Police Department will offer to fingerprint kids. Bubba the Bear from Wegmans will pass out stickers, and Frito Lay’s Chester the Cheetah will hand out snack bags.
Music in the Air: Listen for that ‘70s vibe of DJ Kevin Shields, with mega-hits such as Stayin’ Alive and How Deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand’s The Way We Were, and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.
Taste It Yourself: Wegmans will offer free bottles of MVP, a new sports drink with no artificial colors or sweeteners, while supplies last. Syracuse food companies including Gianelli’s Sausage, Laci’s Tapas, In My Father’s Kitchen Pasta Sauce, and craft brewers such as 1911 Spirits and Empire Brewing Company will be sampling their best.
Cupcakes for all: The store will pass out hundreds of cupcakes, each decorated with a letter or number that together spell out “Celebrating 40 Years.”
Those who shop or work at the James St. store tend to agree that there’s a “just right” feeling about it. At a little over 58,000 square feet, it’s smaller than other Wegmans locations in the Syracuse area, but it has all the variety and choice of bigger stores. Over the last 15 years, the store has added a Nature’s Marketplace department, updated its Cheese Shop and prepared foods departments, remodeled and expanded the pharmacy areas, and brought in new equipment or fixtures for the bakery, meats, bulk foods, and pizza and subs departments.
“We’re a modern Wegmans in every way,” says Store Manager Tammy Ferris.
Customers love zipping through shopping in less time than they’d need in a bigger store, and look forward to encountering someone they know. On any given visit, there’s a good chance a customer will recognize a friend or neighbor who’s shopping too, and they’ll take a few minutes to catch up.
“East Syracuse is a tight-knit community with friendly, caring people,” says Ferris. “Lots of our customers and employees know other folks in the community who shop here too, so they sense a warm bond when they come here.”
Many James St. employees have made a career of working at Wegmans – there are 34 at this store with 20 or more years of service, some of whom went to college with help from a Wegmans scholarship and returned to work at Wegmans after graduation. Wegmans’ Sr. Vice President of Operations for the Syracuse area, Shari Constantine, with 40 years of service was at one time the night manager at James St.
Over the years, the James St. store has strengthened its ties to East Syracuse by participating in community traditions. Every summer, the store provides ingredients for the annual “Taste of East Syracuse” cook-off, in which the mayor of East Syracuse competes against a Wegmans chef to see who can make the best dish. The cook-off caps a day of activities for the whole family, with games for kids, face painting and more. Every holiday season, the James St. store partners with St. Matthew’s Church to donate holiday dinners to families in need.
Day in and day out, of course, the James St. store plays a part in lots of customer family celebrations – birthdays, graduation parties, bridal and baby showers, holiday and anniversary dinners and more.
“The trust our customers show in asking for our help with these events means so much to us,” says Ferris. “We hope that all our customers will stop by for this ‘thank you’ celebration.”
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 92-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family-owned company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 20 consecutive years, ranking #2 in 2017.
Press Contact:
Evelyn Carter
Syracuse Consumer Affairs
315-863-1114
Press Contact: Evelyn Carter Syracuse Consumer Affairs 315-863-1114
Source: Wegmans Food Market