RICHMOND, Va.- Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, announced grocery retailer, Wegmans Food Markets, will invest $175 million to establish a full-service, regional distribution facility in Hanover County, Virginia. Wegmans operates in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

Wegmans will locate the facility along Sliding Hill and Ashcake Roads in Ashland, Virginia. The new campus will allow expanded distribution on the East Coast and accommodate the company’s growing retail footprint. The announcement follows a recent domestic marketing mission where the Governor met with Wegmans real estate and development officials at the company’s headquarters in Rochester, New York.

“It’s a significant win when a business decides to create 700 full-time, well-paid jobs, and we are proud that a company of Wegmans’ stature has chosen to establish its major new operation in Hanover County,” Governor Northam said. “Virginia is a world-class transportation and logistics hub, and the location of this campus will greatly enhance Wegmans’ fast-growing East Coast distribution network. I was grateful for the opportunity to meet with Wegmans officials to discuss ways we can strengthen our partnership, and I look forward to the company’s continued success in the Commonwealth.”

“This site has the right combination of everything we were looking for in terms of proximity to our stores and workforce and is located in a Commonwealth that we have partnered with for many years,” said Wegmans president and CEO, Colleen Wegman. “Once it’s up and running, this facility will allow us to deliver products to our southern-most stores with increased speed and freshness and will help support our growth well into the future.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, The Greater Richmond Partnership and Hanover County all worked together to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Northam approved a $2.35 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Hanover County with the project. A Major Business Facilities Job Tax Credit is also available to Wegmans for new, full time jobs created.

“It is exciting to add Wegmans to the growing list of major corporations that see Hanover County as a destination of choice, due in large part to our cost of doing business, strategic location along the eastern seaboard, and expedited planning processes,” said Hanover County Director of Economic Development, Linwood Thomas. “Wegmans will create hundreds of good-paying jobs well above our average prevailing wage, and at full buildout, will be one of our largest taxpayers.”