Cheese wall, grab-and-go, local pastries — Tour Taunton Hannaford after major makeover

TAUNTON — When the Gazette recently took a tour of the Hannaford Supermarket on Warner Boulevard in Taunton, management had to confirm the age of the store with one of its long-time associates.

“I came with the building,” joked Frances Jackson, who has been happily and gainfully employed at the Hannaford Supermarket in the RK Plaza in Taunton since it opened in January 2006.

Her continued presence provides a symbolic link between the past and future of the store, which recently underwent a massive makeover.

Last fall, the store celebrated the completion of remodeling which brought with it the inclusion of new and expanded features.

“All departments were upgraded in some regard,” Store Manager James White said.

Construction started in March of 2023 and concluded in October, with the store staying open throughout the remodel.

Andrea Nickerson, Vice President of Retail Operations for Hannaford Supermarkets, said many of the new features at the Taunton location were chosen based on input and feedback collected online and in-person from customers.

“It was really about our customers showing us they wanted to have these conveniences,” said Nickerson.

White said that “to an extent, most of these features are elsewhere” in other stores, but “we have a newer setup with how we present products.”

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Damage to the store

The store recently suffered damage from heavy winds from a snowstorm over the weekend of Jan. 13. The storm damaged windows and the front entrance on the produce department side of the store, which remains tarped up and blocked off at time of writing this story.

None of the new and expanded features are impacted by the front entrance's being blocked off, and remain accessible for all customers.

"The produce entrance remains temporarily closed while we conduct necessary repairs. In the meantime, the produce area has been reorganized to allow customers to access all the fresh fruits and vegetables they’re used to seeing in our store," said Hannford's External Communications Manager Caitlyn Cortelyou via e-mail.

She said there's currently no definitive timetable for the completion of the repairs.

"We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible and thank our customers for their patience and understanding," she said.

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What's new and shiny when walking in?

White said the produce department "has a different, more wide-open look."

He said what’s specifically gotten attention is the new pre-cut fruits display case in the produce section, along with the redone flooring in that department.

Crossing over into the dairy section, brand new features include a circular stand-alone cheese display case, along with an adjacent “cheese wall” containing other assorted products.  At the stand-alone display, staff cut up and package assorted cheeses in-house.

Moving along into the breads and pastries section, White said there is an increased emphasis on presenting local and regional vendors here.

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More pre-made ready-to-eat foods

The biggest upgrade is an expansion of pre-made, ready-to-eat foods, called “grab-and-go” in the store.  Multiple displays in the back corner of the store, near the deli counter, have assorted cold foods, like sandwiches, pastas and salads, as well as a hot foods bar, which includes pizza made daily, and other entrees.  

During the day, a new chicken wing bar is stocked and available.

The biggest new feature is a sushi station. Sushi had already been available prior to the remodeling, but with a limited selection.  White said the new sushi station is, at the very least, currently the biggest one out of all locations in the Northeast.

White said much of the positive feedback regarding the new “grab-and-go” options has come from seniors.

“We’ve received a lot of compliments on the new look and options. They are loving the changes,” White said.

Other upgrades

Parts of the store have what’s referred to as a “Shop like a local” section, comprised of local/regional products.

Organic and gluten-free items are now integrated into the aisles based on food category, instead of devoting an entire section of the store to them.

Departments like meat and seafood now have expanded selections of frozen products.

More self-checkout registers

The self-checkout section has been increased from two registers to eight.

The store’s pharmacy has been expanded to include more services, including consultation services and immunization shots.

White concluded by saying the remodel was a bigger project than originally envisioned, “but it's something the customers have been really happy about.”

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Hannaford Supermarket gets major renovation. Here's what's new