Date: Fri 06-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

business-Big-Y

Full Text:

Curiosity Brings Big Crowds To Big Y

(with cut)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Refrigerators all over town were kept bare early last week as residents

eagerly anticipated the opening of the Big Y on Queen Street.

The giant supermarket finally opened its doors at 7 am last Thursday morning

and the hungry crowds filed in by the thousands. Between Thursday and Sunday,

some 14,000 shoppers walked through the Big Y doors curious to see what lay

inside and to compare prices.

"It's fun when you're the new guy," said Claire D'Amour, vice president for

corporate relations for Big Y Foods, Inc.

The opening of the Big Y was an unusual event for Newtown residents. Suddenly,

it was the "in" thing to be seen at the Big Y. Not known for its nightlife,

Newtown suddenly had a place to go Saturday night. The glowing lights

illuminated the borough and seemed to beckon shoppers.

While the parking lot at the Big Y was packed, there were plenty of spots

available across the street at the Grand Union. But the decrease in business

came as no surprise to officials at the longstanding Newtown supermarket. They

knew the big rush to the Big Y would come, but expect many of their customers

to return when and if the Big Y novelty wears off.

The 54,000-square-foot Big Y of Newtown is the 44th store of its kind to open

in the Connecticut and western Massachusetts area and the second in Fairfield

County. There are currently 300 people employed at the Big Y of Newtown.

According to Ms D'Amour, the Big Y sold 400 pizzas in its opening weekend (not

to mention individual slices), 350 foccacia breads, 300 pounds of cod, 400

fish and chip dinners, 5,000 bagels, 600 batches of hamburger meat and 30,000

bananas. The supermarket also went through 150 register tapes.