Gala Foods to open third Bridgeport supermarket in new retail plaza

Gala Foods will be opening its third Bridgeport supermarket as the anchor store in a new retail plaza being planned for the city”™s East End neighborhood.

The 35,000-square-foot Civic Block development, located on a 2.7-acre site along Stratford Avenue, will also include an Optimus Health Care office, plus a pharmacy, laundromat and hair salon. Mayor Joe Ganim announced that Bridgeport-based Ashlar Construction LLC will coordinate the project, which is set to begin construction in the spring and open to the public by early 2020. Ashlar Construction is teaming with Bridgeport Landing Development, the company behind the neighboring Steelpointe Harbor project, as equity partners on the $7 million development.

“It has been over 40 years since the East End has had a grocery store in their neighborhood,” said Ganim at a ceremony announcing the new retail development. “I am proud today to be making this announcement after years of community effort and public support. This project will be outstanding, and it will mark the rebirth of this part of our city.”

Gala Foods has Bridgeport stores at 1457 Fairfield Ave. and 1050 East Main St. The company, which is a subsidiary of Aurora Grocery Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, operates a nine-store chain across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.