ShopRite welcomes early-bird shoppers after ‘soft opening’

ShopRite has opened its doors in Riverhead.

The supermarket, located at 1510 Old Country Road, had a “soft opening” this week in advance of its Sunday, Oct. 21 grand opening and ribbon-cutting.

But the much-anticipated opening of the new ShopRite — “soft” or otherwise — has already drawn plenty of shoppers.

The cavernous 60,000-square-foot site of the former Waldbaum’s has has been fully renovated and remodeled by the new tenant. It is the third ShopRite store operated by the Thompson family, whose patriarch, company president Kenneth Thompson Sr. was president of Waldbaum’s when the store first opened in Riverhead Centre.

“We are very excited to bring ShopRite to eastern Long Island with our ShopRite of Riverhead, which joins other ShopRite stores in providing the best prices and top-notch service to Long Islanders,” said Thompson Sr., a resident of nearby Eastport.  

The new store boasts a number of in-store “village” shops: a from-scratch bake shop, butcher where customers can buy custom-cut meats, a full-service seafood department with daily, fresh-catch deliveries; a full-service deli with Boar’s Head products and a prepared foods department with grab-and-go items, freshly prepared hot entrees, salad and olive bars, and made-to-order sandwiches. It features a cafe and brick-oven pizzeria.

The new store is outfitted with the latest energy-saving and sustainable technologies, including LED lighting and environmentally friendly refrigerant systems, and ShopRite From Home is available for customers who want to order their groceries online and pick them up at the store or have them delivered to their home.

To celebrate the store opening, the family will join ShopRite Partners In Caring, ShopRite’s community-based, hunger-fighting initiative, in making a $10,000 donation to Long Island Cares food bank.