Wegmans, the national grocery store chain with a cult-like following, announced plans to open its first store in the Pittsburgh region Monday.
The Rochester, New York-based food retailer is building a 115,000-square-foot grocery store in Cranberry, in a part of a development called Cranberry Springs that includes the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The company plans to hire 400 to 500 employees for the new store, “the majority locally,” according to the press release.
The grocery chain is known for having a diverse selection of food items, including a range of prepared foods and a “sub shop” where shoppers can make their own hoagies.
Cranberry Township Manager Daniel Santoro said he’s “delighted” that Wegmans picked Cranberry for its first foray into southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s not an unusual move for the retailer — most of their stores are located in affluent suburbs in Virginia, Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
“We’ve received thousands of requests for a Wegmans in the Pittsburgh region since opening our first Pennsylvania store over 30 years ago,” said Dan Aken, vice president of real estate and store planning at Wegmans. “We’re excited to have finally found the right location to bring Wegmans to the Pittsburgh area.”
The company doesn’t have a timeline yet for when construction would start or when they’ll open their doors to shoppers.
