Kroger Marketplace opens in Powell
By Ken Lay
The sounds of drums thundered through the air on a humid Wednesday morning in East Tennessee’s oldest community last week. Drumlines from rival Emory Road high schools, Powell and Halls, provided a festive atmosphere while area shoppers filtered in an out of Powell’s newest store.
A new Kroger Marketplace Store opened its doors last week and area residents took time off and used vacation days to help christen the fourth marketplace store that Kroger has in the Greater Knoxville Area.
Kroger also has marketplace stores in Farragut, Maryville and in the Cedar Bluff community.
“We are so excited to be here and we’re excited to open a Kroger Marketplace Store in Powell,” Kroger spokesperson Melissa Eads said. “This is the fourth Kroger Marketplace store in the Greater Knoxville Area. “It’s always exciting to open a new store and it’s also always fun we open in an area like Powell.
“We’re looking forward to serving the community of Powell and Halls.”
Kroger has already given back to both North Knox County Communities. The company donated $500 to both the Powell and Halls band programs. In addition, Kroger made a $2,500 donation to Knox Area Rescue Ministries.
In addition to purchasing groceries, customers can take advantage of a clothing department, a delicatessen and bistro, a Starbucks Coffee shop, a medical clinic, a salad bar, a sushi bar, a wine center, a pharmacy, a pet center and other amenities.
The new store will soon begin its Click List program. That will allow shoppers to shop on-line and pick up their orders in the store parking lot.
“Our Click List will allow shoppers to shop on-line from home and come and pick up their orders and not have to get out of their car,” Eads said. “This will be good for professionals, and mothers with young children.
“It will also be good for the elderly and shut-ins who can order their groceries and have someone come by and pick the orders up.”
Store manager Molly Stiles said that she’s excited to have her store in Powell.
“Kroger is here to be a vital part of the community,” she said. “This store has created about 400 new jobs and this is a one-stop shopping experience.”
Seventh District Knox County Commissioner Representative Charles Busler was on hand and he too is glad that Kroger has chosen to open the superstore at the former home of the Powell airport.
“We’re happy that Kroger has come to Powell,” Busler said. “Powell is the oldest community in the Knoxville Area. It precedes the City of Knoxville and it may be the oldest community in the Southeast.
“This Kroger will be one of the first things people will see, coming into Powell from the north and it will be one of the last things they see when they are leaving.”
