Biggest Kroger Marketplace to open in Centerville

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CENTERVILLE — The largest Kroger Marketplace ever built will open its doors at 1095 S. Main St. on Thursday morning.

The 147,000-square-foot store tops the average Marketplace — the company’s largest stores under the Kroger name — by about 20,000 square feet. By comparison, Meijer stores are about 200,000 square feet.

The 24-hour Centerville Kroger Marketplace will include an expanded selection of groceries, home decor, furniture, a Baby World, office supplies, toys, a Starbucks coffee kiosk, sushi and a bistro with chef-prepared meals. It also offers a Fred Meyer Jewelers, Western Union services and a drive-through pharmacy window.

The store and its recently opened fuel center are built at the site of the former Elder-Beerman location.

This is the 11th Marketplace in the Kroger chain, and it joins the two other Dayton-area locations in Beavercreek and Englewood. There are more than 2,400 Kroger stores in the Cincinnati-based company.

Rachael Betzler, Kroger spokeswoman, said this location was chosen because the Kroger a few doors down, at 1023 S. Main, has been an extremely busy site.

“This store does do very well; it gets lots of customer traffic,” Betzler said. “It definitely needed an upgrade.”

That Kroger, which is closing tonight in preparation for the Marketplace’s opening at 7 a.m. Thursday, is 60,000 square feet, less than half the size of the new one.

Kim King, owner of Centerville Framing and Gifts at 270 N. Main St., said she didn’t shop at the Kroger that is closing because of the crowds.

“Oh, it was a horrible zoo,” said King, of Washington Twp. “But I probably will shop at the new Kroger. I’m excited that they built it. As a business owner, I think it makes the area more viable.”

All 200 employees from the closing store will be moved over to the Marketplace, according to Betzler, and another 250 or so employees have been hired.

The official ribbon-cutting for the Marketplace will take place at 8 a.m. Thursday, and the day-long grand opening will feature many events, officials and local celebrities, including Cincinnati Reds announcers Marty and Thom Brennaman.