Big Y Breaks Ground on Expanded Distribution Center
SPRINGFIELD — Big Y is expanding its distribution center with a $40 million project that is set to fuel the growth of the supermarket chain for the next 20 years.
At the Big Y Store Support Center on Aug. 7, guest speakers, including Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno; Patrick Carnevale, director of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Western Mass. office; state Rep. Jose Tosado; and Rick Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, joined Charlie D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods, and many others in celebrating the beginning of the expansion.
The now-189,000-square-foot facility is adding another 232,000 to bring the total to 425,000 square feet. The new space, according to Colin D’Amour, senior manager of Procurement at Big Y, will have state-of-the-art refrigeration storage for fresh seafood from Boston, deli meats, salads, cheeses, fresh and local produce and flowers, as well as additional dry-product storage. “Big Y’s distribution now supports 70 supermarkets out of the same space, and it is easy to see the need for an expanded facility,” he noted.
Big Y is adding 32 full-time employees to meet the demands of the new facility, which is expected to support an additional 20 supermarkets. Sullivan stressed the importance of this expansion when it comes to the local economy and what buying local means to the Western Mass. area.
“Big Y is a great local company,” he said. “The 12,000 employees, those are our friends, our family, our neighbors. Equally important is the buying local program … I cannot impress upon you more the importance of that local investment and what it means to the quality of life to the strength of our economy here in Western Massachusetts.”
Charlie D’Amour took noted that Big Y was recently recognized by Forbes as one of the top employers in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and said the company is looking forward to even more growth in the future.
“Today is really about the future,” he said. “It’s about the future of food distribution, where we can have products delivered to our stores at the peak of freshness. It’s about the future of the company so we can accommodate our growth. It’s also about the future of the 12,000 employees and their families, where they can continue to grow their jobs and their careers with Big Y. It’s about the future of the partnership we have with our local farmers and our local producer partners. It’s an exciting, exciting day for us that I think will be a milestone as our company continues to grow and develop.”
