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Update: Shoppers react to Market Street opening after April 24 celebration
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RIO RANCHO — It was a sight to behold, the grand opening of Rio Rancho’s Market Street April 25, when it opened to the public.
The parking lot clued people in on how well the opening was going because it was bursting at the seems. People took to parking on the curbs just outside the store lot.
Inside, the sight was similar with hundreds, of people meandering the aisles. Two shoppers, Jan Templeton and her friend Esther Gurule, were amazed at the size of the store and the volume of people filing through the doors.
“It’s a nice store; everybody’s so friendly. They’re willing to help you find whatever you need,” Gurule said.
She was happy for the convenience, too.
“I live just down the hill,” she said.
Templeton shared her excitement about the samples Market Street was offering.
“Their samples are fantastic!” she said.
She said she lives a mere three miles from the store so it is convenient for her to shop there.
Templeton and Gurule shopped for items together for a party they’re hosting. Their basket included ready-to-heat meals and more.
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Some samples, like fresh-carved meat, dill pickle dip and potato salad, were being offered.
There was also a section to have wine bottles engraved for free.
The massive, highly anticipated store was full of people to celebrate its opening April 24.
Carlos Hernandez, United regional vice president, welcomed the crowd and kicked off a series of speeches from store and local officials.
“This will be our third (United) location in Rio Rancho, our 25th location in New Mexico. Well, this will be our second Market Street location in the state. It is our first one built from the ground up, and we are so excited to open it for business tomorrow at 6 a.m.,” Hernandez said.
The location is about 80,000 square feet and employs 350 people.
Store director Dan Szuch had a few words about the opening.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are to be here today to bring you a truly remarkable building here in the Rio Rancho community. We are very blessed to have the opportunity, and I promise we have a great team in place. I’ll tell you, they’re absolutely amazing. We’re going to serve all of you guys to the best of our ability each and every day,” he said.
He introduced many of the team that will make that happen. People may see some familiar faces at the Market Street as some are coming from the city’s local Albertsons locations.
“We are beyond ecstatic to open up our doors of the public tomorrow. We expect to see you all at 6 a.m.,” he said, only half jokingly.
He said their commitment is to the guests and the team members to provide high-quality service and an extensive selection of products and services.
“We can’t wait to see all of you tomorrow and every day going forward,” he said.
Sidney Hopper, president of the United Family, which owns the Albertsons and Market Streets in the U.S., was “beyond excited” to be in Rio Rancho.
“Thank you for having us. Thank you for welcoming us. We’ve been here already operating, but the excitement around this store is probably bigger than most any store I’ve ever seen in the history of our company, and we’re excited to be a part of this community and continue to grow,” he said.
While there are other Market Streets in New Mexico, Rio Rancho’s location carries another significance besides being the first one built from the ground up. “This store, right here, represents the 100th store in our company, and there’s not a better place for it,” Hopper said. “The United Family, our mission has always been simple. We want to work to offer ultimate service, and all we do is strive for superior performance to meet all of our guests’ needs and make a positive impact in all the communities we serve.
“Our business model always has been around creating neighborhood environments where we can serve local neighborhoods and being that go-to place and creating a sense of pride and a sense of community. I promise that what you’ll see with our team in this store, you’ve already seen in the Rio Rancho locations. We’re not just here to do business in Rio Rancho, we’re here to give back in the community; you’ll see our team members out involved in the community, and we really want to become part of Rio Rancho.”
Part of that mission was giving $5,000 to Elevate the Spectrum and $10,000 to St. Felix Pantry during Thursday’s event.
Market Street’s heads weren’t the only ones excited about this opening. Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Schalow was beaming at the addition to the city.
“Today marks an exciting milestone for Rio Rancho. It’s a celebration of possibility, progress and promise that continues to shape this vibrant city,” he said.
He added that since talk of a Market Street started, he knew the store would be “something special.”
“This is quite an accomplishment. It’s about the citizens, the residents, the community, the leadership that have made a difference. Market Street is a great investment in our community,” he said.
Next, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull spoke, marveling at the success of the ground-up construction and the potential for business in the area.
“The first lady, who’s with us today as well, we have to recognize her because she’s been waiting for this a long time. She says, ‘I want to be the first one in the door.’ We live in Cabazon, and when we go for a walk, we go around the building, for the last year or so, watching it slowly progress, and she, every time, says, ‘Why aren’t they open yet? There’s cars in the parking lot. We should be able to go in there, right?’ So, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate the grand opening of Market Street, Rio Rancho, and I’m telling you what we’ve had a lot of anticipation in this project, and they have not disappointed,” he said.
He went on to brag about Rio Rancho’s many successes, saying it is a premium location for a Market Street.
“We are a community that supports the businesses in our community. They know that, right? You want to be successful, come to Rio Rancho because we got it going on here and we appreciate our businesses and we appreciate the investment,” he said.
He thanked all who made the opening possible, including the city council members, four of which attended the celebration including Carissa Culbreath, Deb Dapson, Jeremy Lenentine and Bob Tyler.
After United Family COO Chris James talked about the store’s many features, there were two ribbon cuttings for the main store and the Market Street Express attached to the gas station. Angelos Lambis, director of fuel and convenience, said the 3,000-square-foot building offers similar products that the main store does.
PHOTOS: Market Street opening in Rio Rancho
The Rio Rancho Market Street location celebrates its soft opening Thursday, April 24.
“We are beyond ecstatic to open our doors along with the main store tomorrow at 6 a.m. This convenience location is an extension of what you can expect from the supermarket as well. Guests can expect to find a lot of options here,” he said.
As part of that opening, the local Special Olympics group was presented with a check of $5,000. Three of its members, Alex Correa, Justine Macintosh and Emily Hoffman, joined in on the ribbon cutting as well.
The stores publicly open at 6 a.m. April 25.
