Amelia village and Pierce Township residents who heard rumors of a popular grocery chain opening a new store in the area, can consider the rumors confirmed.
“It is in fact true that there is a Kroger Marketplace coming to the area,” said Mayor Leroy Ellington at the May 2 council meeting. “This is something that has been in the process for five or six years.”
The store will be located on Ohio Pike, near Amelia Olive-Branch road and will be around 120,000 square feet in size.
Kroger Marketplace stores feature products for all areas of the house, an expanded fresh food department and more. The new marketplace will include furniture, decor, toys, jewelry and other items in addition to a pharmacy, deli, bakery and fuel station.
The first Kroger Marketplace opened in Columbus, Ohio in 2004, and since then many stores have been renovated or constructed with the marketplace design.
There are four multi-department Kroger Marketplace stores in the Cincinnati area, located in Liberty Township, Lebanon, Middletown and Englewood.
“Most of the concerns we would have, have already been addressed by the construction process,” Ellington said.
Kroger has addressed issues with nearby roads, and Ellington said once the new store is open, it is rumored that the other two Kroger stores in the area, at 1260 W Ohio Pike and 1783 E Ohio Pike, will close. He also said Kroger is interested in pursuing a traffic light at Lori Lane.
“They are working hard to make sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed,” Ellington said about the construction of the marketplace.
In addition to the marketplace, Ellington said there will be four to five other retail outlets in the same location. He said the company is expected move ahead with the project quickly.