NEWPORT, Ky. - Marching bands, local celebrities and giveaways will mark the opening of Newport's latest one stop-shopping store, Kroger Marketplace, at 7 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 at Newport Pavilion.
"It's been a long and arduous project," said Newport City Manager Thomas J. Fromme. "It was a difficult site to develop, and we're looking forward to the new addition to the community. It looks like a bright future for us."
It is the first tenant to open at Newport Pavilion, a 56-acre, $90 million project off of Interstate 471. The 117,000-square-foot store will bring about 400 jobs to the area. It will consist of roughly 60 percent food items and 40 percent non-food items.
“We are very excited to bring this store to our neighbors in Newport and the surrounding area,” said Cal Oeters, Newport Marketplace store manager. “The community has been waiting for this day and I, along with my staff, are very proud of the store. We’ve hired an excellent group of folks and are very committed to providing an exceptional shopping experience to each and every one of our customers.”
Newport High School’s Marching Band will kick off the Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Thursday and Marty and Thom Brennaman will be on hand to give autographs and to meet and greet shoppers.
Grand Opening Weekend will include free giveaways for the first 300 customers at 7 a.m. each day. Shoppers can enjoy live music, entertainment coupons and food sampling. There will be chances to win more than $3,000 worth of gift baskets and other items.
Kroger Marketplace offers a wide variety of produce, meat, and groceries. It also features specialty departments including a New York’s Murray’s Cheese Shoppe, Starbucks Coffee Shoppe, and The Bistro at Kroger, A Sushi Bar, and Chef on the Run specialty salads, a Kroger Chippery – freshly made potato chips while you wait, a Liquor store, Fred Meyer Jewelry store, and The Little Clinic neighborhood medical care. There’s also an array of home décor, a kitchen place department, home storage solutions, accessories, toys, and more.
Target is expected to be the second establishment to break ground at Newport Pavilion, a project that wasn't without some controversy.
Property for the Newport Pavilion was acquired in part through eminent domain action taken by the City of Newport.
In 2002, the city declared the property between Memorial Parkway and Carothers Road, just west of Interstate 471 to be blighted and subject to seizure with compensation of the owners. The city sought the 50-plus acres of property to make way for what was envisioned as an upscale development, similar to Rookwood Commons in Cincinnati.
A handful of homeowners in Newport's Cote Brilliant neighborhood opposed the move and went to court where they lost.
After the city acquired the property, the economy for such developments soured and that changed the vision for the development. Instead of high-end retailers at one point big box stores, such as Wal-Mart, were discussed for site.
