HERMITAGE, Pa. – A new 159,240-square-foot Meijer Supercenter at the site of the former Shenango Valley Mall property is among three developments in the city that members of the Hermitage Planning Commission have recommended for approval Monday.
At their Aug. 26 meeting, the Hermitage Board of Commissioners will consider approval of site plans for Meijer and fast food chain Wendy’s at Hickory Fields, which is being developed at the former mall property by Butterfli Holdings 011 LLC, an affiliate of Ohio-based Flicore LLC, and for Giavanna’s Gourmet Coffee at the LindenPointe Innovative Business Campus.
One of a group of stores Meijer has under development in Pennsylvania, the Hickory Fields store would be among the Michigan-based grocery and retail chain’s first in the commonwealth, said Peggy Walsh, senior real estate manager for Meijer. The chain now operates 279 operating supercenter stores and six distribution centers in six states, with more than 70,000 employees.
Though she could not speculate on an opening, she said the stores typically take about 15 months to build.
The store also would be the fourth supercenter in the Mahoning and Shenango valley’s, following openings over the past five years in Boardman, Niles and Austintown.
“One of the reasons that we really were interested in Hermitage is because we’re seeing people even today traveling across the border to Ohio to come to Meijer,” she said. “Because we see customers that already have a need that are coming to us, we felt like this was a great natural progression of our footprint as it exists today to come here.”
Erin Cataldo, external communications manager for Meijer, issued a statement via email after the meeting. “Building on our success in Northeast Ohio and the amazing response we’ve received from the local communities, we think there is an opportunity to serve more customers with fresh, affordable groceries, one-stop shopping, and outstanding service.”
“While we’re still early in the process for this site, we’re excited about the prospect of bringing our quality products and exceptional shopping experience to customers in Hermitage,” she continued. “We look forward to introducing ourselves to Western Pennsylvania and are committed to being an active and engaged neighbor. ”
Other considerations were market demographics, traffic and “the strength and vibrancy of the community,” Walsh said.
The proposed store would be located at the easternmost lot of the Hickory Fields subdivision, just north of the East State Street roundabout, said Dave Offner, project manager for Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. A 5.6-square-foot M Express gas station and convenience store would be situated at the front of the site facing East State Street, and the supercenter would be located at the rear of the lot.
Starting off as a grocery store in 1934 in Grand Rapids, Mich., Meijer was the first to pioneer the superstore concept by adding general merchandise in 1962. Grocery sales still account for 70% of sales, Walsh said.
“We know in times like these, having a great selection of well-priced groceries is something that all families are focused on,” she said.
Other features of the store would include an on-site pharmacy, clothing, footwear, a pet department and an 18,000-square-foot garden center. “We have a really innovative pickup system for online orders that we feel has really changed the game because it’s made it a lot more efficient and safe for people to be able to go into,” she said.
Brad Ervin, owner of Round Table Construction Management of Ridgeway, Ohio, shared details for a proposed 2,577-square-foot Wendy’s restaurant at 120 N. Hermitage Road. It is just up the road from the chain’s existing restaurant, which will remain open until the new one is ready.
“We’re excited to extend our stay here in the community with Hermitage,” Ervin said. He also said construction of the new store represented “exciting next steps” for the city because one of the restaurant’s franchisees is Wendy Thomas Morse, a daughter of Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas and the chain’s namesake.
Thomas 5 Ltd., the franchise group Morse owns with her sisters, purchased the Hermitage Wendy’s in February. In July, she said she is planning for a spring 2027 groundbreaking.
Other announced projects at the Hickory Fields site include a 130,000-square-foot Target store now under construction, Chili’s, Chick-fil-A and Longhorn Steakhouse.
The planning commission also recommended approval of a site plan for a 2,675-square-foot restaurant building for Giavanna’s Gourmet Coffee, 1479 N. Hermitage Road, on the LindenPointe campus. Phil DeAngelo has operated Giavanna’s out of a mobile coffee house with his wife and daughter for the past three and a half years, currently serving between 100 and 150 customers daily, a figure he estimates he can increase at least to 500.
“We felt that we were coming up on the time to expand and move it to a brick and mortar” location, DeAngelo said. He said they weren’t looking specifically for a site on one of the main roads because they wanted to create “destination” where people could come to relax. He is eyeing a spring 2027 construction start, with an opening possibly later in the year.
Kara Wasser, a planning commission member and founder and CEO of Looped Solutions, said she and other entrepreneurs would have appreciated such a venue when she had her offices at the LindenPointe campus.
“I just know how we have to leave to go and do anything,” she said. “I had meetings I could have had at a really cool place like that.”
Mark Longietti, Hermitage director of business and community development, said Butterfli Holdings has reported strong interest in the remaining lots at the Hickory Fields site, with more restaurants likely being added to the property.
He also hailed the plans that were outlined at Monday’s meeting.
“Meijer is a strong brand. It’s already recognized in the community. Folks from the Shenanga Valley have been traveling over to Niles and to Austintown to their stores, and that was part of the reason that, in addition to the vibrancy of the community, that Meijer thought this would be a good market for them, that they would have a strong following,” he said.
In addition, he expressed excitement for Wendy’s plans and the involvement of the chain’s namesake, and for Giavanna’s, which is led by a local couple.
“They have a strong following already with their mobile unit, and so this just builds on it and provides some amenities in LindenPointe, where we already have significant employment,” he said.
Pictured at top: Peggy Walsh, senior real estate manager for Meijer.