Need milk? Bread? As you would expect, the new Kroger Marketplace on Mall Boulevard has it.
Need tennis shoes or a new pair of jeans? This Kroger has Levis, New Balance and Skechers, among other popular brands.
In the market for a diamond ring? There’s a full jewelry store inside.
If you’re getting the idea that this new Kroger is unlike any other Savannah has seen, you’re right.
View more photos from inside the new Kroger Marketplace
At more than 100,000 square feet, the Kroger Marketplace — the largest Kroger in the state — has something for everyone, from fishing gear to baby cribs, bed and bath, an extensive toy section, home furnishings and more.
“We have 3,500 Kroger stores across the country, but only 70 of them are Kroger Marketplaces,” said David Pelfrey, unit manager for the new store.
“There is one other Marketplace store in Gainesville in the northern part of the state, but it’s smaller than this one,” he said. “The closest store this size is in Knoxville, Tenn.”
Opening today at 7 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m., the $30 million project employs more than 400 associates — about 150 from the old Kroger next door and 267 new positions.
“Kroger has served the Savannah area for more than 37 years,” said Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “We are incredibly excited to bring this amazing store to the community and provide our customers with an even better shopping experience.”
No one is more excited than Pelfrey, who started his Kroger career next door almost 30 years ago to the day.
“I was hired as a night stocker at our original Mall Boulevard store in 1984, making $5 an hour,” he said.
Pelfrey worked his way up through the ranks, spending 23 years as a district manager in the Mid-Atlantic division, which operates more than 120 stores in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and eastern portions of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.
“This is truly a homecoming for me,” he said. “I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have here.”
Wide aisles give the huge store an open, airy feel, while the logical layout groups such as items in the same area — books, reading lamps and bookcases are on the same aisle, as are coffeemakers, coffee and mugs, for example.
While the Marketplace has all the standard features shoppers have come to expect of new stores — an extensive produce section, a deli and sushi bar, a floral shop, a pharmacy with drive through and a bakery — pockets of surprise pop up around almost every corner.
There is a Murray’s Cheese shop, a clothing department featuring items for men, women and children, a Baby World with cribs, mattresses, car seats and infant clothing, a separate Kosher deli, an entire line of small kitchen appliances, an extensive vitamin shop and a large organic section where foods are sold in bulk.
Fred Meyer Jewelers occupies a front section of the store, selling such fine jewelry as diamonds, rings, watches and bracelets.
To celebrate the opening, Kroger will present Susan G. Komen for the Cure Coastal Georgia with a check for more than $63,500 and will donate $250 gift cards to seven neighboring schools.
IF YOU GO
The Kroger Marketplace on Mall Boulevard will open at 7 a.m. today. Regular store hours will be 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
ABOUT KROGER
Kroger’s Atlanta Division is one of the Southeast’s largest retail grocery chains with more than 184 stores in Georgia, eastern Alabama and South Carolina. Kroger was recognized by Forbes as the most generous company in the U.S., with a focus on hunger relief, K-12 education, women’s health initiatives and local organizations in the communities it serves.
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