Wegmans to open store in Prince George’s

Woodmore Towne Centre site would open in late 2008

Thursday, May 4, 2006

Wegmans, the trend-setting supermarket known for its wide product selection and worker-friendly environment, is coming to Prince George’s County.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson is expected to announce today that the grocery store will anchor the Woodmore Towne Centre in Glenarden, at the junction of Route 202 and the Beltway.

The move underscores the robust economic development picture that county and state officials have been trying pitch to retailers.

‘‘I think it’s excellent. It’s something that the community has been asking for,” said Arthur Turner, chairman of the Economic Development Committee for the county’s Chamber of Commerce. ‘‘Wegmans really raises the bar in terms of the type of retail options that are available to ... the county.”

Still missing is the high-end retail — the Neiman Marcus, the Nordstrom, the Saks — that hasn’t made a move to Prince George’s County.

Wegmans is a unique centerpiece in a county where shopping complex anchor stores often come in the form of a Shoppers Food Warehouse, Giant or Safeway.

The Wegmans would be the first in the county, and one of a handful in the metropolitan region.

Turner said the Wegmans presence may prompt high-end retailers to give Prince George’s a second look.

The Woodmore center, where the store will be located, is a 245-acre, mixed-use project along 1,000 feet of the Beltway that includes retail and residential components. Groundbreaking on the center is scheduled for summer of 2007. It is expected to open by late 2008.

James R. Estepp, of the Greater Prince George’s Business Roundtable, said he was thrilled Wegmans is choosing to locate here. Estepp said he hopes ‘‘as more businesses recognize the tremendous opportunities in Prince George’s County that others will follow suit.”

The Wegmans announcement is the latest in a series of seemingly monthly development updates. In late February, Gaylord Hotels announced it would add 500 rooms to its 1,500-room Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor project along the Potomac. In mid-April, the developer the Peterson Companies announced that five other hotel and timeshare chains were coming onboard the project, bumping the total number of rooms on the site to nearly 3,000.

Konterra, in Laurel, is another project planned to play host to hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail, including a regional mall. The anchors for the Konterra Town Center have not yet been announced.

‘‘The residents of Prince George’s County are more affluent than the national average,” said a source familiar with the Woodmore development project, who confirmed that Wegmans has agreed to anchor the shopping center. ‘‘Retailers are beginning to see this ... there’s been an all out effort to bring retail to the county.”

Wegmans operates 70 stores from Virginia to New York state, where the company is headquartered. Only one of those stores — Hunt Valley — is in Maryland. Another Wegmans is scheduled to open in Anne Arundel County in 2009.

The company, which employs more than 35,000 people, has for the past decade consistently been listed as one of the top 100 places to work by Fortune magazine. Last year, it was listed as number one.

Wegmans’ product selection is nearly twice as large as that offered at average grocery stores, according to the company. Its stores range from 70,000 to 130,000 square feet and include in-store dining, pharmacies and photo labs.

Johnson is also scheduled to present his State of the Economy address tonight in Upper Marlboro during the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce Fifth Annual Economic Development Showcase.

E-mail Judson Berger atjberger@gazette.net.