Howard Suamico (WFRV) – Festival Foods is adding a new store on Lineville Road in the Village of Suamico. Across the street is 23-year-old Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly.
The new Festival will cover 70,000 square feet, larger than the now 38,000 square foot Olsen’s.
Georgianna Schroeder frequents Olsen’s. She told Channel 5’s Hilary Golston she might be able to get better prices at the new Festival because of its size. “Of course you’ll be able to get the bargains that you won’t be able to get here because of the quantity” Schroeder said.
The two large markets would be very close in a fairly small area. Green Bay Area Chamber President Paul Jadin told Golston that the market overall has grown. “Risk is an indication that things are going better” Jadin said.
Piggly Wiggly’s owner, Chuck Olsen said he’s ready for competition. Olsen says he’s not worried about the bigger store putting him out of business. He says they “welcome the challenge. It will make us better operators.” Olsen is adding 12,000 square feet to his building and expanding several departments.
Festival Food’s President and CEO Mark Skogen said he’s opening the new facility partly because he saw an opportunity for growth. Skogen said his intent was never squashing the little guy. “Never open a store with plans of putting someone out of business” Skogen said. “That’s a horrible way of investing money.”
The new grocery store is expected to create 225 jobs and add an estimated $160,000 to $200,000 in tax revenue.
The Lineville Festival Foods will go up in the Urban Edge shopping center. Skogen says the store will be open in the fall of 2010.
