Renovation work continues on Monday, March 6, at the former Slagle’s Foods, which is being turned into a new Fareway store. The site is located at 1301 Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Work continues to move forward on converting a former Slagle Foods store at 1301 Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire, into a Fareway grocery store. The new store should be open for business by this summer, a Fareway official said this week. “We are continuing with our interior demo work, and anticipate some exterior work, including the […]
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Work continues to move forward on converting a former Slagle Foods store at 1301 Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire, into a Fareway grocery store. The new store should be open for business by this summer, a Fareway official said this week. “We are continuing with our interior demo work, and anticipate some exterior work, including the roof replacement, to start this month,” Koby M. Pritchard, director of real estate for Fareway, said in an email. The redevelopment project is now about 20% complete, he said.He added that the LeClaire project has been hit with supply chain issues, but they have been minor. “Things have been moving well. Some minor ordering issues with specific electrical gear, but we aim to order well enough in advance to avoid potential supply issues,” Mr. Pritchard said.Steve Geifman, managing partner of GRT QC Properties, the ownership group that owns the grocery store site, told the QCBJ that the Fareway remodel is progressing as scheduled.“Currently, we have contracted through Twin Shores Construction to remodel the entire center for a new fresh facility,” he said. “This includes new windows, front facade, lighting, parking lot repairs, tuckpointing and painting of the entire front and back of the building.” Mr. Geifman added that there will likely be at least one additional new business in the shopping center by the new Fareway store.“We do have 2,100 square feet available and would love to provide a space in the first grocery anchored retail center as you enter Iowa,” he said, adding there might be an announcement on that new business in a few weeks.The Fareway project has been underway since last April when the project was publicly announced at a LeClaire City Council Committee of the Whole meeting.During that meeting, Mr. Pritchard said the LeClaire grocery store project has been on Fareway’s drawing board for years. But the project entered a new phase when GRT QC Properties bought the former Slagle’s property on Feb. 17, 2022, and began working with the City of LeClaire and Fareway.Previously announced details about the new Fareway, according to city council documents and information from Fareway, include:
The project is a more than a $4 million investment.
The new store will employ about 60 workers including about 15 full-time employees.
The grocery store will occupy just over 18,000 square feet of the retail space.
It will include a full-service bakery and meat market. Also, the location will offer FastLanes – a self-service checkout option, as well as online shopping and curbside pick-up, available through Shop.Fareway.com.
The city described the project as a “full remodel and reconstruction of grocery space.”
The current taxable value of the property at 1301 Eagle Ridge Road is about $1.28 million.
The renovation work comes as Fareway is celebrating its recent recognition as a 2023 Outstanding Independents Award winner by Progressive Grocer. It also recently was named a 2023 Exceptional Independents Award winner by The Shelby Report. “We are humbled and honored to be recognized with these industry awards, serving as a leader in independent grocery,” Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer said in a news release. “In addition to being community-focused, team members of the Fareway family make our shopping experience second-to-none. Their commitment to customer service is the reason for our continued success.”Progressive Grocer hosted its 12th annual Outstanding Independents Awards program, which honors the innovation and resilience of independent grocers. Winning retailers were included in the February 2023 issue, featured online, and celebrated during a special event at the National Grocers Association show in Las Vegas in February.The Boone, Iowa-based Fareway operates 129 stores in a six-state region including several in the Quad Cities region. It is a family-owned business and has more than 12,000 employees.LeClaire has been without a full service grocery store since Slagle Foods closed in 2019.
