Tuesday, August 11, 2009
After long wait, Franklin Road Walgreens is ready to open
Originally set to open in November 2006, the Roanoke store unlocks its doors Thursday.
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A long-delayed new Walgreens store in Roanoke is scheduled to open to shoppers this week, meeting a deadline that city officials have adjusted four times since 2006.
Thursday is opening day for the Walgreens drug store adjacent to Ukrop's Super Market at the Ivy Market retail center on Franklin Road.
The new store sports a two-lane pharmacy drive-through and employs 25 to 30 people, Walgreens spokeswoman Vivika Vergara said.
The approximately 14,000-square-foot store will not be open 24 hours a day, unlike some other Walgreens locations, she said. Instead, its hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the week. On weekends, the pharmacy will open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
There are three other Walgreens stores in the Roanoke Valley, but this particular location has been in the spotlight for several years. It's adjacent to Ukrop's, which opened in 2007.
Ukrop's officials reported in the past year that the Roanoke store has been unable to build a significant customer base. The grocer closed its in-store pharmacy in February to cut costs.
A supermarket trade publication also reported last month that Ukrop's is seeking a buyer for its entire chain, based in Richmond, but Ukrop's officials have not confirmed that news.
Additionally, the success of both Ukrop's and Walgreens in Roanoke are contingent on the developer of Ivy Market receiving tax incentives from the city.
In April, for the fourth time, city council extended the opening deadline for Walgreens, this time to Sept. 14, in order for the developer, IMD Investment Group, to receive tax incentives. The agreement between the city and IMD states that the city will pay IMD the amount of money that Ivy Market generates in tax revenue, up to $600,000 annually, for 15 years, given that the stores there are open by certain dates. Walgreens' original opening date was set for mid-November 2006.
IMD, led by Bland Painter, received its first tax payment of $522,542 from the city this year, based on revenue generated by Ukrop's.
