If the degree of a grocer’s satisfaction with the unveiling of a highly anticipated concept replacement store is determined by community reaction, then the Bottino family has ample reason to be ecstatic with the early results of its new flagship replacement store in Vineland, New Jersey.
Taking shape at a rapid clip after clearing the crucial approval, design and construction phases, the Vineland ShopRite debuted less than two years from its start date — an achievement that Jim Bottino, president and CEO of Upper Deerfield, New Jersey-based family grocer Bottino Holdings, describes as being “extremely rewarding for everyone involved. The process of developing a store from beginning to end has been both challenging and educational. Every aspect of the process is important, from controlling costs, to making things more energy-efficient, to designing an environment that gives the customer a great in-store experience.”
Bottino’s four ShopRites are veritable fixtures in their stomping grounds, which are in proximity to New Jersey State Routes 47 and 55 — byways routinely traversed by mobs of regional weekly beachgoers en route to roughly 10 shore points along the southern New Jersey coastline. But Bottino’s bread-and-butter business revolves solely around taking care of its culturally diverse, food-savvy core customer base.
A co-op member of the well-respected Wakefern Food Corp., Bottino Holdings has opened its newest show-stopping ShopRite to replace a leased store just a stone’s throw from its present home. An integral part of a development boom along Vineland’s main drag, Landis Avenue, the store is situated in the crosshairs of a community that claims the highest number of residents of any other in Cumberland County.
Housed within roughly 90,000 sqft of space, the gleaming new ShopRite is the largest of several retail sections, accounting for about 75,000 sqft. Bottino’s co-located liquor store, entered through a common lobby, takes up about 9,000 sqft; the remaining space is used for various retail sites, including a Hair Cuttery and a CompleteCare health clinic.
In addition to a broad array of groceries, fresh produce, and a huge selection of natural and organic products in every department, “this store has several services that ShopRite customers have come to expect,” including a fresh bake shop, fresh cut-to-order meat, an in-store cafe, full-service catering and floral departments, and fresh seafood delivered daily, he adds.
As part of the store’s aim to provide a bona fide one-stop shopping experience, Bottino says the addition of the “ShopRite From Home” pickup and delivery service “is a great way to make life easier for our customers.
Accordingly, the new store offers an expanded selection of international offerings integrated throughout every department.
Beyond the principal enhancements of products and services, ShopRite of Vineland boasts an abundance of the latest technologies that drastically cut operational costs via the cutting-edge, energy-saving, sustainable solutions in refrigeration and lighting, including glass doors on the dairy and freezer cases, LED and T-8 lighting, and environmentally friendly refrigerant systems.
Bottino’s ShopRite of Vineland
1255 W. Landis Ave.
Vineland, New Jersey
Grand opening: June 5, 2013
Total square footage: 89,000
Selling area: 75,000 sqft
SKUs: 60,000
Employees: 200 full- and part-time
Checkouts: 23
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
Cooperative: Wakefern Food Corp., Keasbey, New Jersey
Store planner: Cold Technology, Blackwood, New Jersey
General contractor: Lynmar Builders, Westville, New Jersey
Interior designer: Broden Interiors, Denville, New Jersey
