Published: May 11, 2008 11:33 pm            

BUSINESS: K&K plans for expansion

The K&K Food Mart at 11350 Maple Ridge Road, Medina, will add to its existing retail space in the coming months.

The store and pumping station was purchased by Reid Stores Inc. and Reid Petroleum Corp. approximately six months ago. Now the business will add 630 square feet to the east side of the existing one-story, 2,790-square-foot building for a manager’s office and an expanded floor area, said President Paul Quebral.

The exterior will aesthetically match what is there now, and the layout will remain the same. The coolers will be moved back about 15 feet. An improved seating area for Subway, an initiative known as “The Corner Cafe Connect,” will offer wireless Wi-Fi for the first time.

“If you’ve been in there, it’s a little tight,” Quebral said. “We think we can make it a better experience.”

The internal traffic circulation pattern will remain the same, and an existing 1,000-gallon kerosene storage tank where the addition is planned will be relocated.

A new concrete sidewalk will wrap around the entire front end of the store, leading to an employee entrance with concrete steps off of the addition.

Customers can expect more dairy, frozen food and cold beverage offerings, said Reid Stores Inc. Vice President Doug Galli. The center grocery selection will expand, as well.

“They will have a lot more choices in that store than they currently have,” Galli said.

The first phase of the project, exterior building construction, is expected to start by mid-August. The second phase, which will include knocking out the wall where the coolers are, will begin sometime after Labor Day.

If all goes according to plan, the entire addition could be up within a 45-day period, Quebral said.

“We don’t want to interrupt business during the summer,” he said. “It’s important to us to limit the interruption.”

Reid Stores Inc. has been in operation since 1922. It owns 31 stores in Western New York and Pennsylvania. The stores on Lake Avenue in Lockport and Quaker Road in Barker were acquired at the same time as the store in Medina, Quebral said.

Once completed, the Medina K&K will resemble the company’s store on state Route 77 in the Village of Corfu.

Final Medina planning and zoning board approval is expected at their June 3 and 4 meetings, said code enforcement officer Marty Busch. The planning board is also handling the state environmental quality review process.

The application will appear before the Orleans County Planning Board on May 22.

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.