Groundbreaking held for new Food City

DAYTON — On Tuesday, company officials broke ground on the new Food City on Able Drive in Dayton. The 55,000 square foot retail supermarket is expected to open early next year and will replace the existing location on Market Street.

“We appreciate the support the residents of Dayton and Rhea County have shown our company, and we’re excited to provide our loyal customers with a much-needed new state-of-the-art Food City to better serve their needs,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.

The location will include an in-store bakery and deli, complete with a hot food bar, large café seating area and fireplace, Asian wok, fresh food bar offering a variety of soup, salad and fruit selections, hickory wood smoker, pizza oven, and fresh sushi. Full-service meat and seafood departments will offer top-quality meats, including Certified Angus Beef and pre-marinated/seasoned oven ready products. In-house butchers will be available to hand cut steaks and fresh meat to order. Expanded grocery, frozen food and produce departments will go well beyond the normal fare with a huge selection of specialty, gourmet, and vegan items.

The Food City Floral Boutique will be staffed with a designer seven days a week and offer a full assortment of fresh-cut floral arrangements, bouquets, gift items, and more. Rapid checkout service will be provided by six traditional check-out lanes and ten self-checkouts. Curbside pick-up will be available for customers wishing to shop on-line. The store will also include a Food City Pharmacy with a drive-thru, Food City Gas N’ Go featuring top quality fuel/diesel, and a Starbucks cafe offering a wide assortment of blended hot/cold coffees and beverages.

The new location will also feature several award-winning energy saving concepts, ranging from energy efficient glass cooler doors, parking lot lights and refrigeration systems to motion sensors and 100 percent LED lighting.

“Our customers can expect to find exceptional customer service and top-quality products at the lowest possible prices, along with great variety/selection and some exciting new services,” said Smith.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 153 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia and Alabama.