Kings Market Confirms Interest in Moving

The CEO of Kings Food Markets confirmed that the company is interested in potentially moving its Maplewood store into the .

"Someone is going in there, and we'd like it to be us," said Judy Spires, president and CEO of the New Jersey-based corporation, which has 24 stores in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. "We are having discussions with (Mayor DeLuca)."

Kings has had a store on Maplewood Avenue since 1940. Mayor Vic DeLuca has said he has been in discussions with Kings representatives for some time now, since before the Maplewood Planning Board voted to declare the site an area for rehabilitation in 2011. 

"We are committed to serving our customers in Maplewood and continuing to expand our presence," said Spires. She continued, "We have embarked on a very all-encompassing growth program in the next three years." Spires pointed to the upcoming opening of a store in Gillette, NJ, which will feature many prepared food options as well as expanded fresh and organic food sections.

As part of a recent "relaunch," Kings is renovating some of its stores, including those in Bedminster, Livingston and Maplewood, said Spires. New dairy cases and frozen food cases recently were added to the Maplewood location, and the store is looking into enhancing its facade, including adding a new awning, said Julie Doran, manager of the Maplewood Village Alliance.

Spires pointed out that even if Kings did move to the Post Office site, it would take several years before a new store would be ready to open. For instance, the Gillette store negotiations began three years ago, said Spires. "There's a lot that goes into the work that we do" to open a new store, she said.

Doran said if Kings did move, it could then sublet the current space, for which it has a long-term lease, to a business that is compatible to it.