KELLY CUTS RIBBON ON
NEW C-TOWN MARKET IN FORMER EVENING NEWS BUILDING MAY 29TH
The last time 100 E.
Commerce Street was a Supermarket; it was an ACME Market and Richard Nixon was
just starting his second term as the 37th President. From that point
in 1972 until 2011, the building was home to the Bridgeton Evening News, and
later the News of Cumberland County; until the paper became the South Jersey
Times and left Bridgeton for Gloucester County.
Now, 42 years after
hosting its last shopping cart, the former Bridgeton Evening News building is once
again filled with the sights and sounds of shoppers and shopping carts; along
with cash registers and customers ordering cold cuts at the deli counter.
It comes courtesy of owner
Frank Majia, who transformed the previous C-Town Supermarket in the nearby
Hancock Center into the “New Bridgeton C-Town” at the corner of E. Commerce
Street and Pearl Street. According to Majia, the new store combines the best of
the modern grocery chain with the friendly intimacy of the corner store of
generations past.
“Everything in the store
is brand new; from flooring, freezers, shelving, and deli equipment to our
checkout lanes, dairy and produce department; up to the fencing around the
parking lot. At the same time, there’s a hometown feel to the store” said
Majia. While the interior of the building has been completely renovated to
accommodate the new C-Town, Majia’s attention to detail also extends to the
outside.
Beyond the new fencing for
the parking lot, the new C-Town will feature additional lighting along the
Pearl Street side of the building, landscaping, and later on a system to
prevent shopping carts from being taken off the property.
Aside from the new look,
the change from the old supermarket to the new C-Town store allows Majia to
provide lower prices because of lower operating costs and savings are passed on
to the customer. “With the old C-Town, we had higher overhead and operating
costs, we've lowered these costs a lot and the savings go to our customers”
said Majia.
The 15,000 square foot
store will feature 12 aisles and vendor space where customers can wire money,
pay bills and take care of other needs in the store beyond groceries. The first
vendor to sign on with Majia was Zagamex with others soon to follow.
If there was one thing
that Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly wanted above all else, it was keeping the
current employees when Majia transitioned out of the Hancock Center’s 30,000
square foot store to the 15,000 square foot space with May’s opening.
“Job retention in our area
is just as important as job creation and I was hopeful that Frank would be able
to keep most all of his people in the new store. I’m really pleased that he’s
been able to keep his current employees while at the same time making a
significant investment in our downtown” said Kelly.
An additional feature of
the new C-Town will be free delivery service on grocery orders in the greater
Bridgeton Area. For customers unable to easily get out and shop in person;
Majia said that the new operation will let customers call in their order over
the phone that employees will then fill, package, and deliver to the customer’s
home.
“We have a certain number
of house-bound seniors and disabled persons in the greater Bridgeton area; we
need to be able to serve their needs and this service works well for them.
We’ll take their order over the phone, review it with them and then we’ll be
their arms and legs going up and down the aisle. We bag their order and bring
to them, it’s a popular service” Majia said.
Stores hours will be the
same as they were in the old store; open 7 days a week from 7:00am to 9:00pm and
the new store will feature digital deli displays showing sales and specials,
small hand carts that can be purchased, and ADA compliant entrances on both the
Commerce and McCormick Street sides.
While the new store had a
“soft opening” on May 10th, Kelly joined Majia for the
grand opening and ribbon cutting Thursday with members of City Council and a host of supporters looking on. “I’ve been
here for 2 years and I feel I understand the customers and the community and
I’m inviting everyone to come and see Bridgeton’s new C-Town Supermarket” Majia
said.
# # #
To learn
more about the City of Bridgeton please visit www.cityofbridgeton.com
To Contact C-Town Supermarket, Please call 856.459.3340
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| Mayor Albert Kelly Extends Best Wishes to the team at Bridgeton C-Town May 29, 2014 |
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| City Council, friends and supporters turn out for Bridgeton C-Town Grand Opening May 29, 2014 |
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| Mayor Kelly cuts the ribbon with Bridgeton C-Town owner Frank Majia May 29, 2014 |
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| C-Town Grand Opening festivities kick off with Mariachi Band Los Reyes May 29, 2014 |