Food City builds new store

Communications Director

Kristin Farley
[email protected]
(865) 215-2589

400 Main St., Room 691
Knoxville, TN 37902

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Food City builds new store

Posted: 06/02/2005
Construction began Thursday for a Food City Superstore in the heart of Knoxville that will serve Mechanicsville and surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the growing number of people living downtown.

Mayor Bill Haslam and Steve Smith, president and CEO of K-VA-T Food Stores Inc., Food City's parent company, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the Western Avenue site on Thursday. Vice Mayor Mark Brown and City Council were joined by community and business leaders to celebrate the new store, which will employ 150 people and represents a capital investment of about $6.5 million."This area will benefit greatly from Food City's decision to build here," Mayor Haslam said. "The store will provide goods, services and jobs in an area that has traditionally been underserved. Food City is also making a statement that the heart of Knoxville is a good place to do business.

The 43,600-square foot facility is located in the Center City Business Neighborhood. The area is being redeveloped through the use of Empowerment Zone funds, which are granted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered locally by the Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement.The new store will include a bakery/deli, with a hot food bar and sit-down café. A registered pharmacist staffs the Food City Pharmacy to meet prescription needs and answer health-related questions. The Food City Floral Boutique will be staffed with a professional floral designer and offer a large assortment of fresh-cut and silk floral arrangements and a variety of gift items. Traditional grocery departments are also expanded, and before customers leave they will be able to stock up on top quality gasoline at the Food City Gas N' Go for top quality gasoline at highly competitive prices.

  "Customers will really enjoy shopping at this new state-of-the-art facility," Smith said. "The enlarged departments allow for more variety and selection and greater ease maneuvering through the store."The new store will be outfitted with an attractive new interior design concept, including department coordinated floor tiling, large department signage and a new store-wide color scheme.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores operates 90 retail food outlets throughout the tri-state regions of Southeast Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.