LaSalle's newest grocery store opens next week.
The Food Basics store in the newly developed 'Shoppes at Heritage' plaza will open to the public on Thursday, February 12, at 8 a.m.
Scott D'Amore is president of the D'Amore Group and of the 'Shoppes at Heritage'.
He says a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 7:30 a.m. before the doors open.
D'Amore says the grocery store is an anchor store for the plaza and says the store started the whole project after years of working on development.
"It was a couple years ago when I first touched base with Metro Grocers and started discussions with them and we looked at the demographics of the area and everything and the ethnic make up and came to the agreement that Food Basics was the right brand for the area and we're super excited," says D'Amore.
He says the store is in a great location.
"It can pick up people from south Windsor and that coming in and it's just a great spot over on the eastern part, the Heritage part of LaSalle right off the highway for so many people and I just think it's something that the neighbourhoods needed and wanted for years," he says.
D'Amore says seeing the entire project develop is very satisfying and very exciting.
"If you go out there, you'll see, you'll see the Shoppers Drug Mart is well underway, you'll see the Dollarama is well underway, Petvalu is going up," says D'Amore. "The McDonald's and the Tim Hortons those are open. You'll see the Taco Bell and the Osmow's following. We've got a lot of other companies that aren't public yet that are either in there just getting started or finalizing."
A groundbreaking ceremony was held last July for the $200-million commercial development.
It's located on Sandwich West Parkway near Heritage Drive.
The development is being done in phases and will include over 250,000 square feet of retail services on 25 acres.
LaSalle's first McDonald's opened in the plaza in November. A Tim Hortons also recently opened in the plaza.
The plaza will also include a Dollarama, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pet Valu and Taco Bell.
There are also plans for a hotel on the site.