Hard News Story

 

Festival Foods, University Avenue addition

Festival Foods will add a new location to the north side of Green Bay on University Avenue by late 2016.

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the demolition will reroute the University Avenue triangle. However, it’s still too soon to tell when Festival can begin construction because multiple permits are needed.  

 Festival Foods will be 80,000-square-feet. A 20-pump Kwik Trip and a 9,000-square foot retail space will be built along with the grocery store. The development would create an estimated $15 million in tax value, according to the Press-Gazette.

According to Stosh Stiloski, Public Relations Specialist, the location for the new Festival Foods was chosen for multiple reasons. “It [Festival Foods] was chosen to relieve some of the pressure of the Green Bay East store,” Stiloski said in a one-on-one interview.

Jason Jacobs, Green Bay East Festival Foods Store Director, said that the Green Bay East location has weekly sales of $1.2 million. Green Bay North is predicted to take away $150 thousand from the Green Bay East location.

Jacobs also believes Festival Foods will succeed despite the proximity to the University Avenue Market. “Festival has high standards,” he said. “I think customers understand what this company stands for compared to the competition.”

Sarah Villenauve, Green Bay East Human Resource Manager said there will be challenges for the new Festival Foods location. “It will be a struggle to find new leaders to step up and manage the new departments, but we will be able to do it,” she said.

Stiloski believes the new location will provide jobs to Green Bay Preble High School and University of Wisconsin Green-Bay students. “What a great opportunity if you live in the neighborhood to have a great place to work and have as a first job,” he said.