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As Wegmans prepares to open in Landover in October, the upscale grocery chain faces the challenge of breaking into a new market historically dominated by the likes of Giant Food and Safeway.

The 130,000-square-foot store, including a café with seating for more than 300, will be the anchor of the 705,227-square-foot Woodmore Towne Center, which is being developed by Petrie Ross Ventures of Annapolis. The center also is expected to include a Costco, Best Buy, J.C. Penney and Timothy Dean's Prime Steakhouse.

This will be the second Wegmans in the state, following one that opened five years ago in Hunt Valley. Others are expected soon in Frederick and Montgomery County.

The Hunt Valley store's sales totaled $80.90 million in fiscal 2010, according to a study by Food World, a trade publication in Columbia, down from $81.70 million in 2009.

More than 5,000 people have applied for jobs at Wegmans, which began hiring in April and plans to employ 650, said Ayana Douglas, Landover store manager. About 600 of the new hires will be from the area, with the others coming from other Wegmans stores. The Rochester, N.Y., company plans to spend $1.5 million on six-month training courses for its workers.

Giant Food, with regional headquarters in Landover, has the highest market share in Prince George's County, with its 20 stores accounting for 21.99 percent of the county's sales as of June, up from 21.97 percent in 2009, according to Food World. Safeway, with eastern headquarters in Lanham, accounts for 15.20 percent among its 16 county stores, down from 15.32 percent in 2009. The two stores generated $531.36 million and $367.30 million in sales, respectively.

To help promote its brand to a relatively unfamiliar market, Wegmans will start direct-mailing residents with information and coupons about eight weeks before its opening Oct. 24. The opening originally was slated for Oct. 10 but was changed to avoid a conflict with a Washington Redskins game in Landover, Douglas said.

"It's our job to understand the regional favorites," said Jo Natale, director of media and consumer relations for Wegmans. "There's so much opportunity for us here."

Although the Landover store will offer the usual Wegmans products, it also will feature an extended line of beauty and hair products, along with various international foods, to suit the area's market, she said. Wegmans also is looking to partner with local growers and other local vendors.

"We hold focus groups to understand the wants and needs of our customers," Douglas said. Those can vary from people who live nearby and shop weekly to those who drive 15 miles to shop once a month.

"When Wegmans decides to build a store, it means a lot for a community," she said. Company officials want Woodmore will become a destination spot for the county.

All is set for the store's October opening, with construction workers just finishing up some inside touches such as shelving, she said.

Correction: This story was updated with information from Wegmans on how many workers from this area are to be hired for the new Woodmore store.