Here’s what’s driving their moves, and what the arrivals tell us about the state of brick-and-mortar stores in the city, and America.

Wegmans supermarket

Where’s it going: Brooklyn Navy Yard; opening Sunday.

What to know: Wegmans’ 74,000-square-foot location will be its first in New York City. The store will offer up to 70,000 items.

About a decade ago, several national grocery chains made bids to plant roots at the Navy Yard, where they could serve both gentrifiers and thousands of nearby public housing residents. Ultimately, the city settled on Wegmans, in part because of its reputation as ethical, beloved and consumer-friendly.

The company’s stores are sometimes compared to European food halls.

In a column, The Times’s Ginia Bellafante wrote that Wegmans’ arrival in Brooklyn sits squarely “at the heart of a paradox” for New Yorkers. Many decry the shuttering of beloved small local treasures, she said, but they also harbor enthusiasm for big-box retailers and the suburban sensibilities they bring with them.