Wegmans to build $175M regional distribution campus in Virginia, create 700 jobs

Victoria E. Freile | Democrat and Chronicle

Show Caption Hide Caption Wegmans bags used to make a knitted woman's suit Talk about recycling, Greece woman uses more than 300 plastic shopping bags to knit a suit.

Wegmans Food Markets plans to create a regional distribution campus in central Virginia, the state's governor Ralph Northam announced this week.

The $175 million campus will be located in Ashland, Virginia, which is in Hanover County, just north of Richmond. The new distribution center is expected to create 700 new jobs, according to Wegmans.

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The new campus will allow the company to expand its distribution network on the East Coast and accommodate its growing retail footprint, Wegmans officials said in a news release. The Gates-based retailer operates 101 grocery stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

Northam approved a $2.35 million state grant for the project.

Wegmans spokeswoman Deana Percassi said the company plans to break ground in the spring. Operations at the site are expected to start in early 2022 “and be fully operational by the end of the year,” she said.

VFREILE@Gannett.com