Ocean State Job Lot is about to launch its new store in what used to be called Shaw’s Plaza off North Main Street in Summit.
The grand opening is set for Saturday, April 18, and will feature a bigger, brighter and cleaner environment on 27,000 square feet of floor space with enough back-room storage to bring the total to 36,161 square feet. It is already stocked with more than 26 tractor-trailer loads of merchandise, according to David Sarlitto, head of corporate marketing. The old store in Pawtucket will close.
In addition to the shopping opportunities, the inauguration will provide about 30 new jobs and the company is currently conducting a recruitment program.
The former grocery store, accessible from Ann Mary Street, is completely rehabilitated inside with new steel shelves and lighting, Sarlitto said, adding that the merchandise mix is the same as at Ocean State Job Lot’s other stores but deeper, with higher quantity. He said the opening is part of an expansion program that has stores in eight states, including all of New England plus New York and New Jersey.
As part of the company’s commitment to those states, the Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation is putting together a Three Square Meals convoy of more than 100 tractor-trailers of supplies to 15 food banks. Many of the trucks are scheduled to leave the North Kingstown distribution center on April 9, with some already on the road, in one of the biggest such efforts in the country, Sarlitto said.
