The supermarket held a grand opening in a neighborhood once dubbed a 'food desert.'
NEWARK -- ShopRite is officially open in the city's Central Ward.
Officials gathered in Newark Wednesday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 70,000 square foot supermarket, which developers say will serve as the anchor for the new "Springfield Marketplace." Once finished, the mixed-use development will include retail shops, restaurants, and apartments.
The apartments and other retail developments should be finished in the next several months, the site's developers have said. The new supermarket is owned by the Greenstein family, which owns and operates the nearby Brookdale ShopRite in Bloomfield.
"We are very excited to bring our second ShopRite store to Essex County, with this brand new location in Newark, where we will be a vital part of the community and a good neighbor," Neil Greenstein said in a statement about the grand opening.
"We are privileged to be part of this community and all the great new development that is happening in Newark right now."
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City officials have lauded the opening as a big win for Newark. The store is set to bring about 360 jobs to the city, 85 of which will be full-time. In addition to groceries, the location includes an in-store cafe, pharmacy, and on-site dietician, who will offer shoppers free one-on-one consultations.
The store is one of several high-profile developments coming to the city, including a Whole Foods now being built in the former Hahne & Co. department store building.
"This development will address several critical needs in the city: eliminating a 'food desert' in its neighborhood; providing jobs, job training, career development, and prosperity to our residents," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement about the ShopRite.
After about two years of construction, the official opening Wednesday included the unveiling of the location's community mural, painted by Newark students, and a donation from the Greenstein family to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
In statements released prior to the opening, city officials said they expect the store's impact on the community to only grow.
"Neil has been a genuine community partner, giving of his time, money and team to make ShopRite an essential part of the city of Newark before the cash register even rings up the first dollar," Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins said in a statement.
"(It's) a prime example of how businesses should operate in communities."
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
