Ground Broken On The Site Of A New BJ’s Wholesale Club At Northgate Mall

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BJ’s Wholesale Club held a groundbreaking ceremony April 30, at their future location at Northgate Mall.

It’s the first and only BJ’s Wholesale Club in Chattanooga. Head of Communications Kirk Saville said they hope to be open by winter. The 100,000 square-foot discount retail outlet store will employ roughly 100 local workers.

“And that's at every level,” he said. “From people just starting, getting their first job, to experienced managers.” Saville said the company is excited to open a store to serve the customers of the Scenic City

“The foundation of our company is value,” he said. “Our members save up to 25 % off grocery store prices every day and we've been around for about 40 years. We look for communities that are growing and where there's a lot of hard-working families where savings and value are important. Based on the response we've gotten from the community already we know this is a great fit for us.”

Saville said BJ’s Wholesale Club is hoping to open 25-30 new stores across the southeast in the next two years.

The store offers everything from produce to name brand apparel, seasonal items, groceries, outdoor furniture and grills, baby accessories, freshly made deli sandwiches and so much more. The Chattanooga store will also have an automotive service area for tires replacements and service. Customers pay a yearly membership. Saville said it costs $40 a year but the store will offer other membership levels that include extra incentives and rewards.

Saville said the company is community-oriented and will be partnering with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

"We take care of the families who depend on us,” he said. “We’ll be working with the food bank and other organizations locally. We will be donating fresh food on a weekly basis to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank once the club is open.”

Chattanooga Area Food Bank Chief Communication Officer, Jeanine Carpenter said those donations will make a big difference in helping the community.

“We can't overstate the importance of our retail partners and getting a new one, that's a big box store like BJs, to bring in their surplus food is timely and important to us,” she said. “We get a little over a third of our food from retail partnerships and this has so much potential to be very impactful in the service we provide to our 20-county area, so it's an immeasurable impact.”

Carpenter said she is grateful the folks at BJ’s Wholesale Club reached out to them

“That’s the generosity that at the food bank we take for granted,” she said. “We see this kind of generosity from our community all the time, but when we get it from a major retailer, it's really special.”

BJ’s Wholesale Club