ADAMS, Mass. — A Connecticut grocery chain will reopen the former Big Y Supermarket on March 29.
The announcement was met with applause as Adam's Hometown Market informed the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday that it expected to add the location to its 15-market chain on Monday.
"We're thrilled to announce we have every belief that we will be opening the site previously owned on Myrtle Street owned by Big Y on the 29th of March," said Russ Greenlaw, vice president of operations. "We have a letter of intent in place and a closing schedule for Monday."
Greenlaw said his team expected to be in the building on Tuesday and to begin hiring on Tuesday beginning at noon.
"We have a very, very aggressive plan to get that store up and running and we have important work to do to make it is food safe," he said.
Big Y on Feb. 14 announced it would close the 50-year-old store and layoff about 90 employees. Supermarket officials put the closure down to the store's small size as it has been expanding and upgrading its more than 80 locations to offer more products and services.
At the time, officials had said Big Y was in talks with another grocer to take over the location and expected to close the market in early March.
On Wednesday morning, the Big Y sign was removed and the building shuttered. On Wednesday night, Adam's Hometown informed the public it would be moving in.
"Thank you very much for stepping in," said Selectman Joseph Nowak. "Now I feel our community is whole again."
"These size stores, 15,000 square feet, is what we operate really well," Greenlaw said. "We like a tight-knit community."
He said the grocery plans on rehiring the employees who had been at Big Y but noted some key people have already moved on to other positions.
"Those folks who served day-to-day are the community," he said.
Greenlaw said the footprint will basically be the same though there will be some structural changes and the store will not operate a pharmacy.
Adam's Hometown operates 15 stores in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and has one other in Massachusetts. It's stores have bakeries, seafood, meat and deli departments and offers catering.
All Adam's locations are IGA partners and are supplied by Bozzuto's Inc. Bozzuto's is lead by Michael Bozzuto, son of the company's founder Adam Bozzuto and for whom Adam's Hometown Market is named. The grocery chain is owned by Intercontinental Holding Company Inc. of Cheshire, Conn., which operates as a subsidiary of Bozzuto's Inc., according to Bloomberg's. It was incorporated in 1996 and employs more than 800 people.
"We would like to extend our gratitude to the local town officials whose assistance was instrumental in finalizing our decision to serve the great of people of Adams, Massachusetts," the grocer's officials said in a press release confirming the announcement on Thursday morning. "Be assured we will work as quickly as possible to reopen and bring the residents of Adams Massachusetts local, fresh and healthy foods."
"I personally want to say I am beyond thrilled to hear about Adam's moving in," said Erica Girgenti, director of the Senior Center. "The Senior Center was getting bombarded with phone calls. We were working on an agreement and a contract with the Big Y to provide a shuttle service to North Adams in the interim and I think we plan to continue with that for the next couple of weeks."
Greenlaw said he was informed of the supermarket's history and how it was once an Adams Supermarket.
"We think this was somewhat predestined," he joked. "It was only a matter of time before we made it back."
