Problems obtaining electrical switchgear will delay Gadsden Food City opening to 2024

“The part’s on order” is generally an impediment to repairing vehicles, electronics and the like, not to major construction.

However, the inability to acquire essential parts in a timely fashion is going to delay the opening of the Food City grocery store at the Gadsden Mall until next year.

Company officials had anticipated opening the 53,700-square-foot store, in the spot at the mall formerly occupied by Sears, in late October.

“It was originally the game plan,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City’s president and chief executive officer, who noted that the supply line impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are continuing.

“Where we’re getting bit right now is on electrical gear, specifically switchgear,” he said.

According to ASCO Power Technologies’ website, switchgear is a generic term for a wide variety of switching devices, like circuit breakers, that control, isolate and protect power systems. It’s basically the nerve center of a building.

“It’s the big electrical box in the back of the store that kind of runs all the electricals for the supermarket,” Smith said. “It’s a pretty big component, a $300,000 piece of equipment.”

He said Food City ordered the equipment “in the middle of 2022,” anticipating a late summer/early fall 2023 store opening. The vendors projected a 40-week lead time.

“We thought we’d be fine,” Smith said. “But unfortunately, it’s been delayed twice. And this last delay ... moved it up to where we wouldn’t be able to get the store open until February. We went back to them and told them, ‘Guys, you’re killing us,’ because we’ve hired quite a few in Gadsden and it's costing us a lot of dollars every month that goes by, and we haven’t opened the store.”

Smith indicated during a visit to Gadsden late last year said the store would employ 225 to 250 people, full-time and part-time.

“We’re sitting there paying the power bill and paying the people we’re training,” he said. “To say the least, we’re a little frustrated with our supplier.”

Everything else connected with the construction is “proceeding fine,” Smith said, “But until we get permanent power, we can’t get the refrigeration running, we can’t get the HVAC running. There’s a lot of things that just won’t work. That’s the barrel we’re over.”

Smith wouldn’t set a definitive date for the opening other than 2023 is out of the question, but said he could have more clarity soon.

He did say it’s likely to take six to eight weeks once the switchgear is on hand to get the store open, noting that some things like hanging wallpaper and painting can’t be done until the HVAC is working and there’s a more temperate climate inside the building.

Refrigeration also has to be tested and stocking the store generally takes about four weeks.

Food City is based in Virginia and has had stores there and in Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee and Virginia. It opened its first Alabama store, in Albertville, in 2021, and aside from the Gadsden location broke ground this year on planned stores in Fort Payne and Huntsville.

“We’re delighted about the reception we’ve had in Gadsden and in Huntsville, and we’re excited to be going to Fort Payne as well,” Smith said. “We couldn’t ask for better people that we’ve hired, better work with the city governments and we’re just excited about being part of (the) business community in Alabama and specifically in Gadsden.”

The Gadsden City Council granted K-V-A-T Food Stores, Food City’s parent company, an abatement of 2% in sales tax revenue from the city for the next 15 years, or $6.7 million, whichever comes first. 

Smith said he’s also excited about the prospect of locating at the Gadsden Mall (its building actually will be freestanding but it’s at 1001 Rainbow Drive).

“The frequency of shopping at a mall vs. the frequency of shopping in a supermarket is a lot different,” he said. “Traditionally, supermarkets have never gone in malls ... but I think it benefits us from having some mall traffic and it will benefit the mall from having supermarket traffic coming on a more frequent basis.”

He said he’s also pleased with the location because of the “traffic flow and the ability of folks from all over town to get there.”

Once Food City is open, Smith said, Gadsden will see “an upscale store without the upscale prices.”

He said the store will have a “first-class food service operation,” offering three hot bar meals a day, breakfast to dinner, along with fresh-rolled sushi, Chinese wok cooking and fresh salad and wing bars. There also will be a Starbucks inside.

Smith said fresh produce will be delivered “a minimum of every other day,” and plans to work with local farmers in season.

Meat will be cut in store, he said, including certified Angus beef, both Choice and Prime.

“We’ve got fair, competitive prices,” Smith said, “and we’re certainly going to have a good variety, good selection. We’re still learning the Alabama market for local items down there, our managers are working hard on that.

“I think people will be pleased with the size of the store,” he said. “It’s big enough to carry a good variety and selection, but it’s small enough where it’s not going to wear you out like a supercenter.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden Food City opening delayed until 2024