Liza Barrick CRDA/From left, Atlantic City Councilman Kaleen Shabazz, CRDA Deputy Executive Director Rosa Farias, Village Super Market Inc. Board Chair Bill Sumas, CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty, CRDA Board Chair Mo Butler, Gov. Phil Murphy, Atlantic City resident Aliyah Cherrisse, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver.
ATLANTIC CITY New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Chairman Modia Butler, and Village Super Market, Inc. Executive Vice President Bill Sumas broke ground Thursday, Nov. 18 on a new ShopRite supermarket in Atlantic City. The store will ensure that Atlantic City is no longer a food desert and will provide area residents with high-quality and affordable grocery options.
Atlantic City residents should not have to leave town in order to shop for groceries for themselves and their families, Murphy said. Our administration, the CRDA, Mayor Small, and others have been working long and hard to make today a possibility, and I am happy to be standing today alongside our partners to break ground on a brand new ShopRite for Atlantic City.
With today's groundbreaking, Atlantic city is on the cusp of having its first full-service supermarket in more than 15 years. It goes without saying that Atlantic City cannot reach its full potential without a full-service supermarket that offers fresh produce and high-quality food, Oliver said. Gov. Murphy and I understand that access to nutritious food will make a huge and positive impact on the health of people who live in Atlantic City."
Sweeney said bringing a grocery store to the community provides residents access to fresh foods at affordable prices, so families in Atlantic City can have what all parents want for their children - healthy, well-balanced diets.
The construction of the grocery store will include a 54,609 square foot supermarket, with onsite parking, landscaping, lighting, and fencing. It includes 44,100 square feet of a ground floor retail supermarket with an approximately 10,400 square foot mezzanine for administrative support and 227 parking spaces.
"This groundbreaking marks the beginning of the end of Atlantic City's days as a food desert," NJ Sen. Vince Polistina said. "When the new ShopRite opens, residents will once again have easy access to a local supermarket and affordable, healthy food options. This CRDA project perfectly demonstrates how the success of our casino industry translates into investments that help revitalize Atlantic City for the benefit of the community."
On Aug. 20, 2019, the CRDA board approved resolutions designating Village as developer and operator of the store, which will be located at the northwest corner of Baltic and Indiana avenues.
Village, a publicly traded company with sales of more than $1.6 billion annually, operates 30 ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, five of them in the South Jersey region.
Village was founded in 1937 by two brothers, Nick and Perry Sumas, and the Sumas family continues to guide the company.
On Oct. 19, 2021, the board established a fund reservation totaling $18,752,500 for the construction and fit out of the grocery store.
"Village Super Market is proud to continue our 84 year tradition of Helping Families Live better by bringing a 44,000 square foot state-of-the-art supermarket to the community, Village Chairman Bill Sumas said. The new store will allow neighborhood residents access to fresh food and everything they need for a full first class shopping experience to feed their family right here in Atlantic City.
Village has partnered with Community Investment Strategies, Inc., to assist with community outreach, job training and job fairs for Atlantic City residents.
