Produce shoppers will notice some changes in the next 10 weeks at their local Gerrity’s supermarket, a northeastern Pennsylvania chain of 10 grocery stores operated by the Fasula family — who announced in June their company was joining Wakefern.
The stores started transitioning to The Fresh Grocer brand August 12, with a ribbon cutting at the family’s first Fresh Grocer owned and operated by Gerrity’s supermarket in Scranton, Pa., according to a news release.
The Fresh Grocer specializes in serving fresh prepared foods to communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and is a registered trademark of the retailer-owned cooperative Wakefern Food Corp, based in Keasbey, N.J.
The other Gerrity’s locations will transition to the new format August 19 to Oct. 14.
Shoppers can expect new products, services and lower prices their favorite aspects of the Gerrity’s experience will remain, including Gerrity’s recipes, people and service, along with Co-owner and Operator Joyce Fasula – also known as “Mom” to associates and customers.
The Fasula family is calling it a rebrand to The Fresh Grocer Owned and Operated by Gerrity’s, Co-owner Joe Fasula said in the release.
“This is the next chapter of our family’s business,” he said. “I want to thank our dedicated team of associates and our shoppers for their ongoing support as we complete our transition to The Fresh Grocer banner. We look forward to providing an expanded assortment of foods and products to our customers while helping them save even more.”
Shoppers can sign up for The Fresh Grocer Price Plus club card at the store, and new advertising circulars for The Fresh Grocer stores began appearing each Friday starting August 12 in Scranton and then in other markets as each store converts. To save time, shoppers should redeem any points and Gerrity’s gift cards ahead of the conversion.
The Fasula family announced in June that Gerrity’s had joined Wakefern, making it the 48th member of the supermarket cooperative.
Gerrity’s is a family-owned business that began in 1895 as a small meat market. Today, the company is the largest family-owned supermarket business in northeastern Pennsylvania and is led by Joe Fasula and his mom, Joyce Fasula. The company’s 10 supermarkets are in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Northampton counties with more than 1,300 associates.
The family’s rebranded stores will continue to offer a wide variety of fresh groceries and restaurant-quality take-home meals. Instacart, the on-demand and online grocery delivery service, will also be available as each store converts.
The new Fresh Grocer locations will also offer several new Wakefern Own Brand products, including the popular Bowl & Basket, which pairs thoughtfully selected ingredients with budget friendly prices.