A remodeled Tops store will celebrate its grand re-opening next week in Amherst, N.Y., making it the 19th western New York Tops location recently updated with a new look and a renewed focus on fresh departments.
Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops will have a ribbon cutting Dec. 9, for the $2 million renovation project at the 65,000-square-foot store, according to a news release. Tops operates 157 full-service supermarkets with five additional franchise stores in New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont.
The remodeled store will offer enhanced services, more products and an enlarged fresh perimeter department with updated décor. Almost everything inside and outside of the store has been touched: Energy efficient equipment and LED lighting both inside and out, digital menu screens, expanded state-of-the-art self-check outs, renovated customer restrooms and new interior décor were some changes.
“When it comes to freshness, convenience and variety, you'll find everything here at your newly remodeled Amherst store …,” store manager Jeff Talarczyk said in the release.
The grand re-opening event includes prizes for the public, and there will be a Santa for photos with children 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11.
Customers walking inside the store will first notice an expansion of the deli and carry out café areas and then the expanded produce area with a fresh prep case with seasonal items such as fresh-cut vegetables, fruit, and trays.
Tops partners with more than 200 local growers, including several neighbors in western New York, such as Spoth’s Farm. The company is also a supporter of products grown by New York State farmers who adhere to the New York State Grown and Certified program’s requirements, which includes verification of safe food handling practices and participation in environmental sustainability programs.
There are also Tops grocery pick up, delivery and catering services. With online ordering, customers can get groceries delivered from the store to their door in as little as an hour or drive up and have their groceries loaded into their vehicle in minutes.
To save time and money, Tops has several mobile apps: the reimagined Tops mobile app and website, Tops Shop+Scan, and Flashfoods. Tops Shop+Scan allows customers to simply use their phones in the store to scan and then bag the items as they shop for an expedited checkout and contactless shopping experience. Flashfoods is an interactive, in-store food waste program that allows customers to purchase food nearing its sell-by date online at up to 60% off and then pick it up at the store when completing their shopping.
Flashfood's impact in North America includes 223,642 shoppers fed — 90,000 of which are Tops shoppers, according to the release. The app has diverted more than 20 million pounds of food from landfills, and a lot of carbon dioxide has been saved.
The Amherst Tops store will make $500 donations to each of the following local groups as a show of appreciation to the groups’ support of the community:
- Transit Fire Department;
- Amherst Police Department;
- Gateway-Longview Foundation;
- WNYHeroes Inc.; and
- Little Free Food Pantry Blessing Box.