SmartShopper

New Wegmans in Chapel Hill opened Feb. 24

The new Wegmans in Chapel Hill opened on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and we have photos and video of the store.

Posted Updated
Wegmans Store Front Chapel Hill, NC
By
Faye Prosser
, WRAL Smart Shopper
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The new Wegmans supermarket in Chapel Hill opened at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

The 100,000-square-foot store is located at 1810 Fordham Blvd. Regular store hours are 6 a.m. to midnight each day.

See a sneak peek video of the new store below and on the Smart Shopper Facebook page.

This Wegmans location employs approximately 450 people and has 29 registers, 12 of which are self-checkout.

Wegmans Registers, CHapel Hill , NC location

In addition, they offer grocery shopping online for curbside pickup or delivery to your door in as little as one hour.

The store manager, Rick Walters, gave me a sneak peek tour of the new store on Monday, Feb. 22. Although the store is very similar to the locations in West Cary and Raleigh, there are a couple of differences.

In the Chapel Hill location, there is a separate new sandwich and salad station that is housed between the poke and sushi station and the pizza section.

Wegmans Sandwich and Salad Station, Chapel Hll, NC

You'll also find a good size floral department and some coolers with entertainment foods like sausage and cheese trays.

Wegmans Floral, Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21

The Entertaining section will have pre-made charcuterie and entertaining trays and items once the store opens.

Wegmans Entertaining, Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21

The store offers a number of specialty sections similar to the other two locations in the area.

According to the company statement, "The new store houses a Market Café, with indoor seating and an extensive array of prepared foods including a coffee bar, sushi, pizza, subs, and prepackaged meals to go. Whole fish, delivered fresh daily and cut to order, are featured in the Seafood Market, including seafood from Wanchese, on Roanoke Island, at the North Carolina Coast. The store also features an 800-item produce section, with more than 300 organic offerings, and a Cheese Shop which includes specialty and artisan cheeses produced domestically or imported from around the world."

Burger Bar
Wegmans Burger Bar, Chapel Hill, NC, 2-22-21
Charcuterie Department
Wegmans Charcuterie Dept. , Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21
Dry Aged Beef
Wegmans Dry Aged Beef, Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21
Poke and Sushi Station
Wegmans Chapel Hill, NC Poke Station

The prices on staple items including eggs, milk, almond milk, chicken, ground beef and more are very competitive.

Wegmans Eggs, Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21
Wegmans Milk Price, Chapel Hill, NC, 2-22-21
Wegmans Almond Milk, Chapel Hill, NC, 2-22-21
Wegmans Chicken Breast, CHapel Hill, NC 2-22-21
Wegmans Ground Beef Price, Chapel Hill, NC 2-22-21

You'll also find many of the favorite classic products from the original store in New York including Bison Dip (there is no actual bison in this dip), and various hot dogs and sauces.

Wegmans Bison Dip, Chapel Hill, NC, 2-22-21
Wegmans Hot Dogs Section, Chapel Hill, NC
Wegmans Sauce Display, Chapel Hill, NC location

Wegmans also has an extensive wine and beer department including products from many North Carolina breweries.

NC Brews Section, Chapel Hill, NC, 2-22-21

The company now offers a line of plant based cleaning products.

Wegmans Plant Based Cleaners

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, you won't see any big Grand Opening events on Feb. 24. They have set up a designated line-up area outside for customers in order to keep the capacity in the store at or under 50%.

Wegmans Outside Store Entrance in preparation for opening day, Chapel Hill, NC

According to Wegmans, "To ensure a safe environment for all our employees and customers, we’re committed to going above and beyond what is required. We have enhanced our sanitation of high-contact touchpoints and increased the frequency of our everyday sanitation practices. Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the store and our cashiers are asked to sanitize their workspace and hands regularly. Plexiglas® shields are also installed at all our registers and will be installed in additional areas, as well. We encourage all customers and employees to be respectful of social distancing guidelines. To help, we’ve placed visual indicators at our registers and throughout the store."

Wake Forest Hiring

Wegmans has started the part-time hiring for its next store in Wake Forest, which should be opening in May, 2021.

According to the company statement in January 2021, "There are nearly 275 part-time openings available throughout the store, including positions in restaurant foods, sushi, pizza, bakery, produce, deli, cheese, day and overnight grocery. Recruitment for 150 full-time employees began in November and is ongoing. Altogether, the Wake Forest store will employ 450 people. There are 15 remaining full-time positions, which include bakery, culinary, and overnight stocking. All applicants are encouraged to apply online at jobs.wegmans.com/wake-forest."

“We began our journey into North Carolina two years ago and have met the most amazing employees and customers,” said division manager Blaine Forkell. “We are eager to open the doors of these next two stores and help serve the needs of our communities. Our store management teams have been working hard to create a welcoming, safe place for new employees and customers to work and shop.”

About Wegmans

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 104-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina. The family company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 23 consecutive years, ranking #3 in 2020. The company was also ranked #1 for corporate reputation among the 100 most visible companies, according to the 2019 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient® study.

Wegmans offers an array of benefits to both full and part-time employees. In addition to flexible scheduling, competitive pay and benefits, Wegmans employees enjoy abundant opportunities for career development and growth, as well as tuition assistance through the company’s employee scholarship program.

Additional Future Wegmans Locations

In addition to the new stores in Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, Wegmans has announced the following future locations:

* Cary at Cary Towne Boulevard and Interstate 40 in Wake County

* Holly Springs at North Carolina Highway 55 and Ralph Stephens Road in Wake County

When Wegmans first came to North Carolina in October 2019, the Raleigh store opening was one of the biggest the chain had ever seen. There were Wegmans fans tailgating overnight so they could be the first in the store. See this article about what the store meant to them and what it means for the Triangle.

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