Wegmans distribution center to bring 700 jobs to Hanover

Wegmans Food Markets plans to build a $175 million regional distribution center in Hanover County, creating 700 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday.

The campus, which will be located along Sliding Hill and Ashcake Roads off Interstate 95 in Ashland, will expand the grocer’s distribution network on the East Coast. Operations will start in 2022 and be fully operational by the end of the year with 600 employees, a Wegmans spokeswoman said. The center will be fully staffed at 700 by 2026, they anticipate. In recent years, the Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain has expanded its footprint in Virginia. It has 101 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Hanover County and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project, for which Virginia competed against North Carolina. Northam approved a $2.35 million Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund grant, and Wegmans is eligible to receive a tax credit for the full-time jobs it creates.

“This site has the right combination of everything we were looking for in terms of proximity to our stores and workforce, and is located in a commonwealth that we have partnered with for many years,” Wegmans President and CEO Colleen Wegman said in a statement. “Once it’s up and running, this facility will allow us to deliver products to our southern-most stores with increased speed and freshness, and will help support our growth well into the future.”