New
Weis Markets superstore
is coming to Thurmont
By Masha Persanova
Contributing Writer
On
Oct. 28 Weis Markets held a groundbreaking ceremony for their
new superstore in Thurmont.
The 53,700
square foot store will be located near McDonalds at the southwest
part of town, on Old 15 near the Rt.15 Thurmont Exit. It will
be the 24th Weis Market in the state, and “one of the
largest stores we’ve built in Maryland,” Dennis
Curtin, Director of Public Relations, told The Dispatch.
Bulldozers
were already working on the site when the ceremony took place.
Vice-Chairman
Jonathan Weis said that for 20 years Weis Markets has been
trying to come to this area and finally it was going to happen.
“We are very excited to be here and are looking forward
to working for the Thurmont community. We are planning to
open the superstore next summer,” he said.
Commissioner
Bill Blakeslee said that Thurmont is happy to have the grocery
store and is certain everybody will benefit.
Participating
in the ceremony were Weis Markets Chairman Robert Weis, his
son Vice-Chairman Jonathan Weis, Thurmont Commissioners Wayne
Hooper and Bill Blakeslee, president of Thurmont Historic
Society John Kinnaird, Jim Gangawere from Thurmont First and
Vickie Grinder, Chairperson of Thurmont First.
According
to the company’s press release, the new superstore will
offer a 500-item produce department with a selection of organic
produce, a floral department, a large deli with a pizza kitchen,
an express register, a Hoagie Shack and a sit-down eating
area. The store will also include a selection of natural,
organic, gourmet and ethnic items, a full-service bakery,
seafood department, and a pharmacy.
Asked
about local employment opportunities, Curtin said, “We
expect the store to employ an estimated 200 associates - full
and part-time. Usually a fair number of a store's associates
will come from the area it serves and in fact a number of
Weis associates who work in Frederick live in Thurmont.”
Weis
Markets is based in Sunbury, Md. It is a publicly traded company,
founded in 1912, with 157 stores in six states: Pennsylvania,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia.
In November,
Weis will open its 23rd location in Maryland, a 44,129-squarefoot
superstore in Boonsboro, also in Frederick County.
