Bruckner Commons will feature a prominent new supermarket before this summer is out.
ShopRite is coming to Bruckner Commons, the re-branded Bruckner Plaza, and opened a hiring center amid fanfare on Tuesday, April 28 at 1998 Bruckner Boulevard.
The ShopRite will be the 30th store in a mostly family-owned supermarket chain called Village Supermarket Inc., and will create approximately 250 full-time and part-time positions.
The positions were open to both experienced and non-experienced applicants, and the company plans to team up with a local high school to make even more hires.
People interested in applying should visit the hiring center, located next door to the future store in the mall, or apply online at www.shopr
Perry Blatt, director of marketing and business development for Village Supermarket and a third-generation operator who is the grandson of the business’ founders Perry and Nick Sumas, said the company feels the borough is becoming a destination for new residents and is burgeoning.
“In general, we felt that the Bronx is exciting,” said Blatt. “We really discovered that the area could use a good supermarket, a supermarket that the folks can be proud of.”
After surveying local shopping options, and conducting surveys of thousands of shoppers’ preferences in terms of what they are looking for in a supermarket, the company felt that they could offer something in the way of fresh food and value that was missing, said Blatt.
The surveys showed local residents in Soundview wanted above all else fresh items, including meat and produce, as well as an up-to-date store, said Blatt.
The 38,000-square-foot store is at the same location of a former Key Food supermarket, which also made it a good location because community members were already used to shopping there, he said.
Among those attending the hiring center opening were Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda; Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr.; William Rivera, Community Board 9 district manager and Deputy Inspector Benjamin Gurley, 43rd Precinct commanding officer.
Rivera said that his first job when he was 16-years-old was at the mall’s Key Food, and that the job taught him about working for a living and earning a paycheck, as well as keeping him on track as a young man and started his progression to working as a professional today.
The district manager said that CB 9 has been working with the ShopRite operator for over a year and that they came to the board with a vision, while looking to engage the community.
He said the ShopRite is a good example of how every large business should work with the community when they open for business.
“When they talk about the 250 new jobs being created at the store, it is important not only for adults, but also young adults,” said Rivera, adding “The grand opening of the hiring center is something that is unique – a lot of businesses do have hiring centers but they don’t involve the community and have a ceremony the way that ShopRite did, which is a sign that the company is going to be a good neighbor.”
