New Wegmans

[mehmeh82]

I was just browsing through a Wegmans website, and apparently they just announced the plans for a new New Jersey store in Morristown:

A lease has been signed, subject to zoning approvals, for a site located on Route 10 near Morristown, New Jersey. In addition to a 130,000 sq. ft. Wegmans, the site will include two free-standing retail buildings and condominiums. The project is a redevelopment of a former industrial site and is about 20 miles from both Woodbridge and Bridgewater. Zoning approvals may take up to a year. A construction schedule and opening date have not yet been set. The site is located in East Hanover Township but will be referred to internally as “Morristown” which is a larger town near the site in Morris County.

I don't know if this is new or not, so sorry if you all already know about it.... I dont know how long it will take to open, but the Cherry Hill store just passed the approvals phase and is expected to open in the first half of 2006.

[Curlz]

CHA-CHING!! That's the sound of (Eastern) Morris County's real estate going up another notch...

[Jason Perlow]

Dammit, why won't they put one in Bergen County?

[Curlz]

mehmeh, you mentioned that you were browsing through "a" Wegmans web site...I was just all over www.wegmans.com and can't find anything about a location pending in Morris County. Do you have inside info/access to something we don't? Do you work for the company? Now you've really got my curiosity piqued!!

And fwiw, if you DO have access to the fine folks on the corporate level, you can let them know that East Hanover and/or Hanover Twp simply isn't Morristown. Nothing wrong with any of the above locations, but Morristown is Morristown. They could get away with saying that if it was planned for Morris Twp, but not for Hanover/E. Hanover. Morris County would be a more appropriate reference--externally or internally!

[rlibkind]

The only future stores Wegman's acknowledges on its website are:

Wegmans Ocean Route 35 & Sunset Avenue, Ocean Township, NJ 07712 Fall 2004

Wegmans Fairfax 11620 Monument Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 Spring 2005

Of course, other stores are in the works and publicly known where they have gone for permits, such as Cherry Hill.

Mehmeh, who has posted previously and said he/she was an employee, may have seen it on an intranet.

What's the source, Mehmeh?

[tommy]

Dammit, why won't they put one in Bergen County?

because we got a fucking ikea, that's why. how much cheap swedish furniture does one county need anyway?!??

[Jason Perlow]

Dammit, why won't they put one in Bergen County?

because we got a fucking ikea, that's why. how much cheap swedish furniture does one county need anyway?!??

Fucking Medium-Density Fibreboard Swedish crap! Give me my goddamn Zweigles Hotdogs!!!!

(ok, I like Ikea's meatballs and buy them frozen in huge bags. So sue me.)

[tommy]

Dammit, why won't they put one in Bergen County?

because we got a fucking ikea, that's why. how much cheap swedish furniture does one county need anyway?!??

Fucking Medium-Density Fibreboard Swedish crap! Give me my goddamn Zweigles Hotdogs!!!!

(ok, I like Ikea's meatballs and buy them frozen in huge bags. So sue me.)

and i'm sitting on an ikea chair.

i'm beginning to think we're part of the problem. but don't tell anyone.

[Jason Perlow]

I really don't understand. Wegmans would make a MINT in Paramus or in any of the other Bergen County towns. I mean the last time I checked, isn't Bergen one of the wealthiest counties in the US?

Morristown? East Hanover? Why the hell do they need a Wegmans? These are the kinds of people that eat at chain restaurants! Have you guys seen the crap that passes for most restaurants on RT 10? (okay, maybe not Lou Reda's place. And I like Penang in East Hanover)

Okay, the people who live in Paramus eat at chain restaurants too. Lots of them. I just need to vent.

[mehmeh82]

Oh, my source is the Wintranet (www.iamamerchant.com), which is an internal employee website. I could tell you a login, but *they* would find you and then things wouldn't be very nice for the both of us. hehe. But the release said "Wegmans announces blablabla" so I figured no one would mind if I let the New Jersey people know....

[Jason Perlow]

Repeat after me. Thank God we are getting a Fairway. Thank God we are getting a Fairway. Thank God we..

[Rachel Perlow]

We are?

[Casey]

Actually, I remember reading an annual research report of wealthiest counties and Morris is the wealthiest county on average in NJ, and one of the top 10 in the country. I'm sure stores like Wegmans read similar reports and figure that into their growth plans....

Casey

[markk]

I really don't understand. Wegmans would make a MINT in Paramus or in any of the other Bergen County towns. I mean the last time I checked, isn't Bergen one of the wealthiest counties in the US?

As a reality check, has anybody been to a Wegmans lately? I checked out the one in Woodbridge and was sorely, sorely disappointed.

When they sprang up years and years ago in upstate New York they had the look and feel of a store that nobody in those parts had ever seen, and some authentic breads too.

They were doing authentic French (hypermarket) baking, making all the traditional types of breads with real aged starters- the levains, the poolish - it was the real thing just on a large commercial scale.

Then they started to switch over to German chemical-based agents for creating starters faster and they had a lot of German experts over and they were very happy with those results, but they were keeping the French Bakery model with the long rises. Now it's anybody's guess - the vast majority of the breads you find there just have no texture anymore - they're soft like Wonder Bread - anybody's guess how they're being made because now they're par baked in Rochester NY and flash frozen and shipped frozen to all the stores. And they're soft, and lousy.

At Woodrbrige I also found that the prepared foods were loaded with chemicals - I found this out because before I finished strolling and sampling the first aisle I had an actual MSG headache, so I started asking for ingredients for what they were sampling, and what do you know - showy foods with no regard for what was natural or not. Who cares if the display is pretty?

I don't see the attraction with this place at all. I think perhaps a Paramus "Fairway" from New York with it's fantastic produce and all of the great foodstuffs that's pretty much hand picked from the best of what's available around the world - I think that will go great. But I think compared to this kind of store, a Wegmans's is a low end "Disney" version.

Well, that's just my opinion, but I am curious what people this close to New York see in them.

[tommy]

I really don't understand. Wegmans would make a MINT in Paramus or in any of the other Bergen County towns. I mean the last time I checked, isn't Bergen one of the wealthiest counties in the US?

Morristown? East Hanover? Why the hell do they need a Wegmans? These are the kinds of people that eat at chain restaurants! Have you guys seen the crap that passes for most restaurants on RT 10? (okay, maybe not Lou Reda's place. And I like Penang in East Hanover)

morris county is indeed "wealthy". however, i agree that wegman's would fit into bergen. bergen, while probably not having as many super-duper-millionaires, has a high concentration of upper-middle class folk who spend gobs of money at places like wegmans (although i doubt they're the core customer base of ikea).

from all reports, the issue with a bergen county wegmans is space. either they can't find a piece of land large enough, or it would be cost prohibitive.

interesting comment from jon regarding wegman's apparent decline. nothing is as good as it used to be, though.

[LJC]

The site is on Rt. 10/Mt. Pleasant Ave. at New Murray Road on the South West Corner. I believe that it is really Hanover.

[phaelon56]

now they're par baked in Rochester NY and flash frozen and shipped frozen to all the stores. And they're soft, and lousy.

I'll nose around at the Wegman's here in Syracuse (Dewitt store) to see whether that's the case here but I doubt that it is. No more than 5 - 6 years ago they spent mucho $$ to put in a brick oven on site assembled by some guys from Italy that are brought in for the job. It's seems unlikely that they'd go to that troube and expense just to use it to finish baking products that were produced and par baked elsewhere. I'm not saying it can't be true..... just that I'd be surprised.

As for the "ready to heat and eat" meals and other prepared foods - I'm not surprised but I don't buy that stuff anyway.

[Curlz]

The site is on Rt. 10/Mt. Pleasant Ave. at New Murray Road on the South West Corner. I believe that it is really Hanover.

THANKS!!!

Care to provide a landmark with that location? For the life of me, I can't picture where New Murray Road is...is it up towards Ridgedale Ave?

[markk]

now they're par baked in Rochester NY and flash frozen and shipped frozen to all the stores. And they're soft, and lousy.

I'll nose around at the Wegman's here in Syracuse (Dewitt store) to see whether that's the case here but I doubt that it is.

You can doubt it if you want, but the bakery manager at the Woodbridge store explained that the breads are par baked in Rochester, flash-frozen, and shipped to the stores; he was telling me this as I was holding one of their premium loaves in my hand (in its package) and collapsing it down to nothing between my thumb and forefinger as if it was a loaf of Wonder Bread.

[LJC]

There is a Burger King (I think it's BK) and an Auto shop (Tire place) at the intersection. It is right where Rt. 10 and Mt. Pleasant split.

[Curlz]

Ooh...right behind Bill and Harry's Chinese--a longtime favorite spot. Now I know exactly where that is. Thank you!! Basically next to the big Warnock dealership. Shit, they're going to have to add 3 more lanes for the additional traffic--it's bad enough already up there!!

[suzilightning]

Dammit, why won't they put one in Bergen County?

forget bergen, jason-

you guys have access to all kinds of decent food stores

we need one in sparta!!!!!

unfortunately the demographics say the area isn't wealthy enough to support it; ditto trader joe's

Edited June 8, 2004 by suzilightning (log)

[Curlz]

Aren't you practically in PA when you reach Sparta? They have Wegmans in PA...

[suzilightning]

come on curlz

we're up in the country here - it's ar least a good 25-30 miles before you hit pa.

you'll see when you come up for the pig roast in the fall

[Curlz]

Just busting you, Suzi!!!