Market Basket Will Open This Year

The DeMoulas Market Basket store – largely seen as a transformative development at the Northgate Mall – is moving rapidly and company representatives said they should be open for business in 2013.

The construction project has been moving at a brisk pace, with the structure now fully in place and brick masons beginning their work this week. The company took out a $3 million building permit last week to begin the interior work.

David McClain of DeMoulas said they don’t have a target date for opening, but it will be as soon as possible and within the calendar year.

“We’re excited  to get Revere up and running,” said McClain. “The winter didn’t help this year compared to last year. Hopefully Mother Nature has had its last hurrah. We’re working on getting that building tight now and starting the interior fit-ups – the HVAC, plumbing and electrical. It’s really all hands on deck now.”

Once a shopping Mecca, the Northgate Mall fell on hard times in the early 2000s, but is seeing a bit of a resurgence now. Many believe that the new grocery store will bring more shoppers to the area and, with that, more desirable stores – as happened in Chelsea’s transformed Mystic Mall.

Mayor Dan Rizzo said he is excited to see the store come in and is preparing for the final details on the company’s property tax agreement.

“I think Market Basket is going to be a terrific catalyst for Northgate,” he said. “Right now, they’re set to go before the state board on March 26th that decides on TIFs. That will be the final piece they need to move ahead to full completion. I think it’s going to give the people of Revere another choice where they can buy their groceries.

“Also, retailers are going to want to go into an area that creates a lot of foot traffic and brings a lot of people to the shopping center,” he added.

One interesting twist is that the somewhat new Price Rite store about 100 feet in front of the new Market Basket will continue to operate. Many had thought the company would be bought out or that there would be some partnership established.

However, Price Rite officials said this week that they look forward to continuing to operate in Northgate.

“PriceRite operates 51 stores across six states, four of which are in the Boston area and we are proud to serve our customers in that market,” said Neil Duffy, PriceRite president. “The PriceRite of Revere has been a vital part of the community since 2010. We welcome our new neighbors and look forward to continuing to serve the community, bringing great value and high quality products to our loyal customers.”

Meanwhile, Market Basket continues an aggressive expansion all over the region with some six stores now under construction and one in the works at the old GE site in Lynn.