What was once a Food World supermarket will become a Piggly Wiggly supermarket when the new store opens its doors on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Vince Culotta, who is co-owner of the new store along with his brothers Charles and Sam Jr., said the new Piggly Wiggly will open Thursday, Feb 25, at 9 a.m.
It is located in the former Food World building at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Ft. Williams Street.
“It’s taken four months to get everything ready,” Culotta said. “We took everything out – the refrigerators and compressors, replaced the ceiling, lighting and shelving, and everything is basically new. (Tuesday) we’re working on replacing the front doors.”
Culotta expects to employ nearly 60 people when the store is fully operational.
The Culottas also own Sylacauga’s Piggly Wiggly location on Talladega Highway and a location in Columbiana in Shelby County.
The new store will be similar to the other two when it comes to offering the same products, pricing and service, Culotta said. Customers who frequent the existing locations will continue to receive the same level of service they have come to expect, he added.
Perhaps the only major difference is Culotta plans to utilize space the old Food World used as a pharmacy for the same purpose. There are not many Piggly Wigglys that operate an in-store pharmacy.
“We will have a pharmacy,” Culotta said, “though it will not be ready for the Thursday opening.”
The Food World store closed in May 2009 after its parent company, Bruno’s Supermarkets, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. A Birmingham judge approved the sale of 56 of the company’s stores to Southern Family Markets.
Southern Family Markets decided to continue operation of 31 of the Food World stores but chose to liquidate 25 of them. Locations in Sylacauga, Pell City and Moody were among the 25 that were shut down.
“We’re both excited and relieved about the opening,” Culotta said. “We’re excited to bring in more jobs to the city because we need them right now. It’s a large undertaking, and we’re happy to see it come through. We hope everything works out.”
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