Wegmans inches closer to opening Harrison store

It may not be all that much longer before Wegmans announces when its new store in Harrison will be opening, an opening that the Business Journal has learned might occur in August.

A grand opening had been scheduled for June 7, but that had to be postponed when the COVID-19 pandemic intervened. On May 27, the Business Journal reported that the store was on track to open this fall with the exact opening date undecided. The company had said that when the store did open, it would be limiting the number of customers inside at any given time to ensure it is able to maintain safe social distancing.

Wegmans Harrison — The brochure that was mailed to Westchester residents. Photo by Peter Katz

Wegmans now has embarked on a direct mail advertising campaign to generate interest in the new Harrison store. It is inviting residents to sign up for an account on its website that can be used to preorder groceries for curbside pickup or delivery. It also has an app that allows prepared foods and meals to be ordered.

There is speculation that the Harrison opening may look more like what’s known in retailing as a “soft opening” than a large event designed to attract thousands of shoppers and well-wishers. When Wegmans opened its new store at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the rainy Sunday morning of Oct. 27, 2019, people were lined up outside before the doors opened and at one point hundreds of shoppers were standing shoulder to shoulder inside.

The new Wegmans is a 121,000-square-foot facility on a 20-acre site at 106 Corporate Park Drive in Harrison. Wegmans bought the property for $26.5 million from Normandy Real Estate Partners. The Harrison store is one of three new Wegmans to have their development and opening schedules disrupted by the outbreak. The other projects are in Morrisville, North Carolina, and Tysons Corner, Virginia.

The direct mail piece invites recipients to ”get ready to shop.” It explains that there will be more than 4,000 choices of organic produce in the store, chef-prepared meals available for takeout, a cheese shop and what’s called a “one-of-a-kind experience.” It invites recipients to visit the website wegmans.com/harrison for more details about the store.

A message in the direct mail piece from Nicole, Danny and Colleen Wegman says, in part: “Hello, Harrison!…We look forward to serving you and making a difference in the Harrison community.”

Wegmans has 101 stores: 47 in New York, 18 in Pennsylvania, 9 in New Jersey, 12 in Virginia, 8 in Maryland, 6 in Massachusetts, and 1 in North Carolina. It has approximately 50,000 employees and in 2019 its sales were $9.7 billion. The company was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Rochester.