SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Foods Inc. has completed more than $13 million in renovations at its supermarkets in Northampton, Hadley and Amherst.
The company celebrated the investments last week with reopening celebrations at each location.
Northampton’s Big Y World Class Market at 136 North King St. received a $7 million investment. The store features a new Living Well Eating Smart section, which offers hundreds of organic, natural and gluten-free products in grocery, health and beauty.
The wine, beer, and liquor sections have been united into a dedicated Table & Vine location in the center of this store.
Additional changes include an all-new chicken wing bar, an upgraded bakery coffee bar and updated produce displays, as well as cosmetic enhancements such as new décor and interior paint.
Big Y in Northampton originally opened on March 8, 1960. The store’s most recent remodel was a major rebuild in 2007, which cost $20 million.
The 65,528-square-foot Northampton store currently employs over 200 people.
The Big Y World Class Market at 175 University Drive in Amherst, which employs 170 people, received a $3 million-plus renovation. Like Northampton, the store has a new Living Well Eating Smart area. There is also a ready-to-eat chicken wing bar and a stir-fry station.
A new café has been designed to have more of a “coffee house” feel, and offers phone and computer charging stations for customers. A newcomer to the café section is “The Local Bean,” a station showcasing Rao’s Coffee, a local coffee bean roasting company.
Other upgrades in the Amherst store include a relocated and rebuilt floral department, upgraded fixtures in produce and bakery, new cases in meat and seafood, and new décor throughout.
Big Y in Amherst originally opened in September of 1998. The 54,754-square-foot store’s most recent remodel was in 2005, which cost $1.1 million.
Amherst resident and store director, Doug George, will continue to manage this location.
The Big Y Express Gas and Convenience store at 73 Russell St. in Hadley received an almost $900,000 upgrade, including several cosmetic and functional renovations at the fuel station.
A new red metal roof sits atop the building, overlooking a spruced up exterior with fresh landscaping.
Inside, customers can find upgraded restrooms, a self-service fresh foods case and new décor.
The major upgrade to the car wash began in July of last year and recently finished with the installation of an auto-pay system. Other new components to the car wash include a hot wash application, wheel blaster, LED tunnel lighting, tire shiner, triple foamer, vision clear, and five new free vacuums.
Big Y Express in Hadley was acquired by Big Y in December 2015 along with two other former O’Connell Convenience Plus stations in Wilbraham and Longmeadow.