RICHMOND, VA (April 22, 2013)—Vistar, a distributor of candy, snacks and beverages, has announced that its newest Merchant’s Mart store opening today in Nashville, Tenn., will be the first to offer an expanded food selection with competitive prices for both businesses and consumers. The wholesale cash-and-carry retail operation does not require membership and is open to the public.
The store will open its doors to the public today followed by a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, April 26, 2013 at 10 a.m. to launch its official grand opening.
“This will be our first store to carry a broad inventory of food products ‒ not just candy, snacks and beverages,” said Pat Hagerty, President & CEO of Vistar. “The Nashville Merchant’s Mart will feature frozen food and canned goods, pastries, condiments, as well as a limited selection of produce and perishable items. We’ll even offer party supplies and concession items.”
With approximately 3,000 different SKUs, the new store will serve as a one-stop shop for small restaurants, offices, concession and vending operators, and non-profit organizations such as schools and youth sports programs. Vistar’s Merchant’s Mart will offer a much larger selection than typical warehouse club stores, particularly for snacks and beverages with nearly 1,500 SKUs in those two categories alone.
“In addition to business customers, we hope to serve families looking for competitive, wholesale prices without the warehouse club membership fees,” said Hagerty. “Those cost savings combined with an extensive selection of nationally recognized brands should provide an attractive option and significant value to all consumers.”
The 20,000-square-foot Merchant’s Mart regular store hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The store will initially employ five local residents and will accept all major credit cards, provide delivery services, and offer a pick and pull program so busy customers can call or fax their order in for pickup 24 hours later.
Vistar’s newest store in Nashville brings the total number of Merchant’s Mart locations to 13 nationwide. Stores are located in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
Vistar, based in Centennial, Colo., is a division of Performance Food Group, Inc. (PFG). In addition to the Nashville Merchant’s Mart, Richmond, Va.-based PFG currently employs approximately 780 people in Tennessee at operations in Morristown, Lebanon and Memphis.
Source: Performance Food Group
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