Athens' First Kroger Marketplace Opens This Week

From a submitted press release

The new Kroger Marketplace® at 700 US Highway 29 N. will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting, Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. The new store – which is estimated to bring more than 400 new jobs to the community – will offer customers more than 123,000 square feet of merchandise. It is the first Kroger Marketplace® in Athens.

“Kroger has served the Athens area for more than 56 years,” says Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “We are incredibly excited to bring this great community a new store that will continue to provide a convenient shopping experience with even more product choices.”

Kroger Marketplace® is a one-stop destination for home fashion and décor, bed and bath, kitchen and small appliances, home office and toys – in addition to traditional fresh food and groceries. The store also includes an apparel department, offering name-brand products like Levi’s, Sketchers and more. The new store features a number of upscale elements.

Long-time Kroger employee Ed Loy has accepted the position of manager for the store. Loy began his career with Kroger in 1997 as co-manager at the Peachtree Parkway store in Suwanee, Ga., and eventually moved on to serve in multiple leadership positions for Kroger in other communities.

“After 17 years of service to Kroger, I am truly overwhelmed by the kindness and excitement the Athens community has expressed,” says Loy. “We are proud to open this new location and encourage everyone to join us in our grand opening celebrations.”

The opening celebration includes:

· Kroger former University of Georgia football greats D.J. Shockley and Reggie Brown will be on hand to autograph merchandise from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Aug. 27.

· Athens mayor Nancy Denson, legendary UGA quarterback David Greene, Georgia Sports Hall of Famer and former UGA track star Loran Smith, and notable Georgia sports broadcaster Scott Howard will also attend as special guests.

· Kroger will also donate $500 to neighboring schools including: Madison County Middle School, Madison County High School, Athens Christian School, Colbert Elementary School, and Winterville Elementary School.

· Kroger has also partnered with Smithfield Foods, Inc. to donate more than 25,000 pounds of protein to the Northeast Georgia Food Bank.

Celebration activities will continue through Saturday, Sept. 13 with various giveaways and promotions including: Kroger fuel discounts; UGA football ticket raffles; a Princess Royale Diamond Earrings giveaway courtesy of Fred Meyer Jewelers; free blood pressure and glucose screenings in The Little Clinic, and more.