Big renovations underway at State College’s Wegmans. Here’s what shoppers can expect

Big changes are in the works at one of the State College area’s biggest grocery stores.

The only Wegmans in Centre County, located at 345 Colonnade Blvd. in State College , is in the middle of an overhaul that seeks to expand the store’s offerings and streamline the shopping process. Although the project is nearing completion, some shoppers remain frustrated with unexpected changes around the store after preparation work and renovations began earlier this summer.

So, what’s new and in the works at Wegmans? Here’s what State College shoppers should know, plus comments from store officials and a look at more planned upgrades.

What’s changing at State College’s Wegmans?

Renovations at Happy Valley’s Wegmans seem to cover nearly every department. Some of the biggest highlights include an expanded cheese department, relocated florals and a larger self-checkout area, according to Marcie Rivera, a Wegmans senior public relations coordinator.

Expanding the cheese department required the construction of a new dedicated area behind the produce section in the center of the store. Soon, State College’s Wegmans will offer an even larger lineup of cheeses from around the world , including cave-ripened varieties from Wegmans’ own cheese caves in Rochester, N.Y.

Customers shopping at Wegmans likely noticed the large, white construction walls erected around the area while work crews laid a new drain line in preparation for the cheese department. Construction equipment and complicated site work necessitated the walls, according to store manager Adam Fleming.

“Our cheese department is getting a significant upgrade in terms of space, which should make that area much more navigable and ‘shop-able,’” Fleming said. “If you’re familiar with the way the store is laid out right now, [the cheese department] exists in a high-traffic area where, depending on what we’ve got going on, it might be difficult for a customer to stop there. We wanted to improve that experience.”

The floral department, meanwhile, is moving to the store’s center and directly next to the new cheese department. Floral offerings were previously housed at the front just beyond the checkout lines, which posed a bit of a problem for shoppers.

“The floral department is also getting significantly larger. If you’re familiar with the store, it’s in somewhat of an awkward spot at the moment behind the point of purchase,” Fleming said. “This will put floral offerings front and center, giving the department the space it deserves. We have beautiful floral arrangements that should be much more featured now.”

A new “hometown sports” section will take the floral department’s place near the front of the store, Fleming said. Shoppers can expect to see plenty of Penn State products and merchandise. Plans to possibly include State College Area High School gear, as well as items for NFL and MLB teams, are under consideration, too.

Wegmans’ renovations are clearing more room for the produce department, which should give shoppers and their carts more space to navigate. Additionally, the market’s dairy section is expanding to include room for a dedicated Kosher section, plus more fresh baby food products and an expanded yogurt section, Rivera said.

Elsewhere in the store, Wegmans has expanded its self-checkout area to 10 self-service kiosks for shoppers. The store also plans to expand its pharmacy to add a pair of dedicated vaccination rooms that could also serve as consultation rooms for patients.

“These should offer privacy for our customers and pharmacists,” Fleming said. “The number of folks coming through and seeking vaccinations has gone up monumentally over the years, so we’re happy to add these.”

When will work conclude?

The store is on track to finish its slate of planned renovations by the end of August, Fleming said. However, a few items on the docket might take longer to address and potentially push that wrap-up date into early September.

“We’re certainly looking to be done before the first home game,” Fleming said, referencing Penn State football’s home opener against Bowling Green State University Sept. 7.

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How are renovations shaking up Wegmans?

One of the first noticeable changes through Wegmans’ recent remodel came in June when the products in several grocery aisles swapped or changed places. Pasta products and spaghetti sauce, for example, moved from a central aisle to a corner section of the store, while cereal, baking goods and other products saw their aisles swapped for new locations. Loaves of sandwich bread and rolls are now found in a dedicated section near the back of the store instead of shelves between the produce and former cheese departments.

New signs throughout the store helped point customers in the right direction of their recently moved products, and customer frustration mounted. For example, several posts and countless comments discussed Wegmans’ renovations on the ever-popular Foodies of State College Facebook group , in which some people said they would not shop there until the remodel concluded. In other responses, people said rearranged shelves and sections made shopping overly difficult, while others said they observed some customers taking out frustrations on store employees.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience,” Fleming said. “We try to keep the work as unobtrusive as possible. When things get moved, it takes a little time to get used to, and it can produce frustration for people to get used to products in their new spots. I certainly hope that when it’s done, they’ll see the change was worth the temporary frustrations.”

Expanding departments and moving products around the store represent Wegmans’ work to modernize the shopping experience, Fleming said. Larger sections of perishable foods and goods are part of those efforts.

“Once you start to shift things, it also gives us an opportunity to rightly size some of those categories,” he added. “Trends and business change over time, and what’s reflected on the shelf does not always keep up with that. I was having a conversation with a customer the other day when I said, ‘When I started in this industry as a kid, we had an 8-foot section of Kool-Aid. Nothing but Kool-Aid!’ Today, I think it occupies maybe 12 inches on a shelf. But when you’re making a change like that and you’ve got a hole to fill, you need to start shifting things around to make those categories the size they need to be to reflect what people are looking for today.”

Changes at the State College Wegmans are not entirely indicative of changes at other Wegmans markets across the country, Fleming said. Rather, they match a modern Wegmans that is consistent with customer desires.

“It’s really taking that 23-year history here and repaying our customers a bit by giving them a more upgraded and modern experience that they could find at a new market store,” Fleming said.

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More on State College’s Wegmans

State College’s store is open from 6 a.m. to midnight each day, while its pharmacy is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Back in February, the Centre Daily Times conducted a cost analysis of grocery staples at each major Centre County grocery store. The report found Wegmans offered the best prices on several items , including family packs of chicken breasts, baby carrots, white bread, pasta sauce, Cheerios, russet potatoes and rising crust frozen pizzas. A separate analysis focusing on baby products found Wegmans had the best local prices on store-brand baby wipes and twin packs of Gerber puree snacks.

Wegmans offers a free Shoppers Club membership program that provides discounts on house-brand items, as well as household staples and other offerings. These coupons rotate roughly each week and must be digitally “clipped” online or through the Wegmans app before applying at checkout.