Mickey Blazer, left, executive vice president of operations for K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. in Knoxville and Chattanooga, is pictured above with store manager Joe Fahy, center, and Joe Greene, district manager, at the expanded Food City grocery store in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Food City in Oak Ridge has expanded. It’s now one of the larger stores of its type.
Food City and Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce officials celebrated last week with ribbon-cutting and flag retirement ceremonies.
Among the new, expanded, or renovated sections are a bakery, deli, and cafe; a specialty cheese section and salad bar; a wellness center, pharmacy, and natural section; a wine section and growler station for beer on tap to go; and drive-through pharmacy and Gas ‘N Go.
During the 10-month expansion project, the Food City store added 11,200 square feet using vacant space formerly occupied by H&R Block and Sally Beauty Supply, Food City officials said.
There are more than 1,100 individual products in the wine section, said Mickey Blazer, executive vice president of K-VA-T Food Stores Inc., the parent company of Food City, in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
More than 1,000 items—1,063 total—have been added to the grocery section, Blazer said. And cheese and sushi have been added to the meat section, he said. The store grew from 46,565 square feet to 57,689, and the produce section expanded.
“This puts us in a better position to compete in a very competitive market,” Blazer said.
He said the store, the only Food City in Oak Ridge, stayed open during all 10 months of the construction project, and most of the “heavy lifting” was done at night. The project was reported to cost around $3.5 million.
The store had a grand re-opening on Wednesday.
Here are pictures from inside the expanded, renovated store.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The bakery is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The deli is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The cafe is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The specialty cheese section is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The salad bar is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The growler station, for beer on tap to go, is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Growlers are pictured above at the growler station at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The wine section is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The wellness center and pharmacy is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The natural section is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The drive-through pharmacy is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Gas ‘N Go is pictured above at the expanded Food City in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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