Saker ShopRite sets opening for Howell store

ShopRite said that its newest store would open in Howell, N.J., April 22, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for April 20. Located in the Friendship Plaza, the new 80,000-square-foot square will be operated by Saker ShopRites, a member of the Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative.

Family-owned Saker, based in Freehold, N.J., operates 29 additional ShopRite stores in New Jersey. To commemorate the opening, the Saker family will present a special donation to the Food Bank for Monmouth and Ocean at Monday’s ribbon cutting.

The store was built at the site of a Kmart that closed in 2013. A Pathmark store in the same plaza also closed in 2013.

ShopRite said the store will have several services that ShopRite customers have come to expect including: a fresh bake shop, fresh meat cut to order, a floral department and fresh seafood delivered daily, as well as a broad selection of natural and organic products in every department. All “World Class” Saker ShopRites also offer customers a hot buffet bar, as well as a wide variety of freshly prepared entrées, including pizza, sushi, a Mediterranean olive bar and cheeses from around the world.

The store will also have a pharmacy, an in-store café, a specialty cigar shop, and a full-service catering department. The store will be staffed with a health and wellness associate and an on-site beauty advisor available to assist customers with skincare needs and cosmetic information.

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The store’s opening will also introduce ShopRite From Home Internet shopping to the Howell community. ShopRite from Home allows customers to place online orders from their home computer or mobile device and have store associates shop for them, so they can pick up their packaged groceries at their convenience.

Another feature at the new ShopRite of Howell is the Culinary Workshop. These hands-on cooking classes are taught by area professional chefs. For a minimal fee, guests attend a 2-hour class and fully participate in the preparation of an entire meal. The ShopRite of Howell has been outfitted with the latest energy-saving and sustainable technologies in refrigeration and lighting, including glass doors on the dairy and freezer cases, LED and T-8 lighting and environmentally friendly refrigerant systems.

“We are very excited to extend our service to our Monmouth County neighbors with the opening of this state-of-the-art shopping destination,” Richard Saker, president of Saker ShopRites, said in a statement. “The new ShopRite of Howell will represent the traditional low prices and outstanding services that ShopRite has always been famous for, in a brand new 80,000 square foot ‘World Class’ store.”