ASHLAND, VA. — Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets Inc. will invest $175 million to establish a new regional distribution operation in Hanover County, 13 miles northeast of Richmond. Located along Sliding Hill and Ashcake roads in Ashland, the new campus will allow the grocer to expand its distribution network on the East Coast and grow its retail footprint, while creating 700 new jobs. Wegmans currently has over 100 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina. No construction timeline was given for the new Virginia campus.
The economic development agency Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with Hanover County and a second economic development agency, the Greater Richmond Partnership, to secure the project. VEDP will administer a $2.4 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Hanover County with the project. According to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office, the state of Virginia competed directly with the state of North Carolina for the project.