New Weis Market Readies for Sunday Opening

Crews caulked windows, stocked shelves and decorated as they worked to ready the new Weis Markets superstore in Fogelsville for its Sunday opening.

The store at 7801 Glenlivet Drive will open its doors at 6 a.m., with a ribbon cutting scheduled for 9 a.m.

As part of the festivities, 250 customers will randomly win a free bag of groceries, valued at $30 to $40, throughout the day.

Some 200 people were busy on Thursday afternoon getting the store ready. Employees stocked beer, produce, cheese and groceries. Meats and bakery items won't be stocked until Saturday and Sunday morning, to assure freshness, store managers said.

"We'll all be here very, very early Sunday morning," said store manager William McDevitt.

McDevitt and assistant manager Debra Keiner showed Patch around the new 65,800-square-foot superstore, which will feature a large selection of organic produce, a 35-seat, in-store café with fresh sushi, salad bar, pizza and sandwiches, and a full-service pharmacy. The store will have a selection of 300 domestic and imported beers, and customers will be able to buy and drink up to 24 ounces of beer in the cafe, in addition to make purchases, beer manager Migdalia Morrison said. There will be an outdoor seating area as well in warmer weather.

"It's going to be an exciting store," said district manager Dave Lederach.

The new supermarket is designed to measurably reduce its environmental impact, in part by using advanced techniques to reduce refrigerant emissions and conserve energy. It was built with 30 percent recycled materials, and the store’s refrigerant usage will be 60 percent less than conventional supermarkets. 

McDevitt demonstrated conservation efforts in the frozen food aisle, where lights were dimmed on the cases. Sensors were triggered by his movement, and the lights went on as he walked by.

The store will employ 160 people.

, At the grand opening, Weis Markets will make the following donations to area groups:

• Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley, $50,000
• Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Co., $2,000
• Weisenberg Volunteer Fire Co., $1,000
• Parkland High School Senior Class, $500
• Northwestern High School Senior Class, $500

The property also will have 12,000 square feet of rental space.