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The new store will offer healthy food at low prices, create jobs and draw customers from around the region, Mayor Mark Boughton said.
“It represents a significant investment on Main Street,” Boughton said. “It provides a much needed service on that end of town and creates a regional drive.”
PriceRite will create approximately 125 full- and part-time jobs and offers benefits to both types of employees, Boughton said. The store is expected to open in May after PriceRite completes $5 million worth of renovations, including drainage work and exterior upgrades, Boughton said. The building has been a grocery store for the past 40 to 50 years and it was important for the city of Danbury to keep it that way, he said.
“There was other concepts but ultimately this really was the right fit,” Boughton said. “It served some senior housing complexes around the old grocery store so we needed something food related so people don’t have to travel too far.”
PriceRite has stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, according to the company’s website. The company keeps prices low by not advertising with weekly circulars or television commercials, and keeping the amenities inside the store basic, according to the website.
The store also requires customers to bring their own bags and bag their own groceries to keep costs down to 30 to 50 percent lower than name brand prices, Boughton said. In addition to lower prices, the store also focuses on catering to a healthy lifestyle, offering nutritious food at a bulk goods price, comparable to Costco or Aldi, Boughton said.
Boughton said the city negotiated with PriceRite and the current property owner for the past seven months to work out a plan that best serves Danbury.
“We’re pretty excited and we think its going to be a good thing,” Boughton said.
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