The Kroger Atlanta Division unveiled updates to its Thompson Bridge Commons location in Gainesville with a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday.
Victor Smith, President of Kroger’s Atlanta Division, shared that the company recently renovated the store with a $3 million capital investment. The renovations included upgrades to its aesthetic, a new customer service area and an expansion to the dairy department.
“There were some maintenance projects that we needed to get accomplished, along with just a refresh of the store, " Smith said. “ And it really means a lot to our Gainesville community, because we really want to be great community partners here, and have our customers in this particular part of the state have the best possible opportunity to get what they need when they shop, every time they shop.”
Tammie Young-Ennaemva, Manager of Corporate Affairs for the Kroger’s Atlanta Division said the store also received updates to customer bathrooms, floor resurfacing, and new doors for frozen food aisles.
“The goal is for us to make sure that we're providing the cleanest, freshest experience for our customers to shop,” Young-Ennaemva said. “So, periodically upgrading our stores allows us to be able to do that, whether it gives it a nice, fresh, clean look, or it provides us an opportunity to expand our product variety.”
She also highlighted the investments into the location will further some of the store’s Zero Hunger I Zero Waste mission. The initiative aims to fight food insecurity within the community.
“One in six people are food insecure,” Young-Ennaemva said. “Our mission of Zero Hunger in our stores, we do it a couple different ways. One, we round up at our registers every single day, and customers participate in that process with us. They may be asked by their cashiers to round up and that those funds go to our Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation, and those funds are then distributed back into the community through 501 (c ) (3) organizations.”
The company also contributes through its food rescue program, which prevents food from expiring on shelves in Kroger stores nationwide.
“Once we're not able to move [products] through the markdown process, we want to make sure that we collect that food before it's at a point of waste,” She said. “We give it back to our local food banks in the community to be able to distribute out to those who are in need, and this is done throughout our entire organization.”
Kroger’s Atlanta Division oversees 183 stores across the state. The division updates roughly 30 stores each year, according to Smith. The renovations to the Thompson Bridge location took just over six months to complete.
