Supermarket Giant Moving Into Massive Manchester Warehouse

MANCHESTER, CT — Stop & Shop parent Ahold Delhaize will be moving into the former J.C. Penney warehouse in Manchester, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.

The company, which owns other supermarket chains, made the announcement Tuesday as part of a $480 million plan to "transform and expand" its U.S. supply chain operations over the next three years. More than 500 jobs are expected to come with it at the local level.

Ahold Delhaize officials said the 15-year Manchester lease "supports a strategy to transition the supply chain network into a fully-integrated, self-distribution model."

"Each facility will also maintain a significant workforce," said Chris Lewis, Ahold Delhaize's executive vice president for supply chain/retail business services.

Ahold Delhaize will occupy about 975,000 square feet of the 1.95-million-square-foot facility with an April move-in planned. J.C. Penny recently agreed to remain in about 650,000 square feet of the building in a buy and lease-back deal with Winstanley Enterprises.

The companies of Ahold Delhaize USA comprise the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast and the fourth largest group in the nation, with nearly 2,000 retail stores and more than 6 million annualized online grocery orders, the company said.

Winstanley added the warehouse to its portfolio about 18 months ago. Located on 162 acres, the property is the largest warehouse and distribution building in Connecticut and one of the largest buildings in New England, according to the portfolio.

Winstanley had committed about $45 million into the complex, including 26 new loading docks, a new rubber membrane roof, new mechanical systems, improved signs and lighting and parking lot upgrades.