Wegmans hasn't given up on Walter Reed and Tysons as it readies Alexandria store

Mar 26, 2015, 2:58pm EDT UPDATED: Mar 26, 2015, 3:32pm EDT

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Peter Van Allen

A view of Wegmans Food Markets in North Wales in Pennsylvania. A Wegmans will open in Alexandria in June, and the company is eyeing spots in Tysons Corner and Walter Reed campus.

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Rebecca Cooper

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Wegmans is still in talks about putting a store at the revamped Walter Reed campus in D.C. and also has its eye on a Tysons Corner location.

Officials from the Rochester, New York-based grocer were in town Thursday to tout its soon-to-open Alexandria store. Talks between Wegmans and the Hines Interests LP team chosen to develop the Walter Reed campus are still taking place, spokeswoman Jo Natale said.

“We don’t have a deal, but we are in discussions,” she said. “It’s a very complex project.”

Wegmans had originally partnered withRoadside Development, another developer that lost out on the Walter Reed project. But Wegmans could still have an advantage with the Hines bid thanks toWeingarten Realty Investors, which is behind the Hilltop Village Center, soon home to the Alexandria Wegmans. Weingarten is managing the retail for the Hines-led development at Walter Reed.

Wegmans also hasn’t given up on Tysons Corner after negotiations with Cityline Partners to open a store at the Scotts Run Station South project stopped abruptly last fall. The grocer is actively looking for other spots to open in Tysons, though nothing has yet emerged, Natale said.

The wildly popular supermarket chain has also signed a lease to open a store in Chantilly, as my colleague Michael Neibauer reported in January, though there is no timeline for that store’s opening.

For the past few months, the main focus locally for the nearly 100-year-old grocery company has been preparing for its Alexandria opening, planned for June 14. The store, which will be located at Telegraph Road and Beulah Street near the Kingstowne section of Alexandria, will employ more than 500 people.

Wegmans is still hiring for both full- and part-time positions. It's received 8,700 applications to date, according to Heather Gole, human resources manager for Wegmans in Virginia.

The Alexandria store will have a much larger selection of international food products than most other Wegmans locations, due, in part, to the significant Latino and Asian populations living near the store, according to Mike Dempsey, store manager.

It will also be the first Virginia store to incorporate Wegmans Pub, an English-themed bar and restaurant within the Market Cafe section.

The pub will feature at least eight beers on tap — likely including some local brews — as well as made-to-order pub fare, such as burgers and sandwiches. The full-service pubs have been rolled out at some Pennsylvania locations and have done very well, Dempsey said. There will also likely be one at the Chantilly store, though plans for that location have not been finalized.

Dempsey said the grocer doesn’t see the pub necessarily competing directly with other bars and restaurants in the area — such as the Greene Turtle, which will also be part of the Hilltop center — but rather a perk for those who would want to enjoy a beer or a bite before or after shopping.

“We take every opportunity we have to be a one-stop shop for customers,” he said.

To that end, Wegmans in Alexandria will also have a takeout subs and pizza shop, a patisserie and cafe, a fine wine shop and a cheese counter with a “trophy case” that will keep cheeses at their perfect ripeness.