It seems as if the 128 corridor’s affluence - from fast expanding biotech and tech firms to some of the highest home prices anywhere - has whetted the appetite of Wegmans, which opened its first Bay State store in Northborough two weeks ago.
Natale said the supermarket giant does not discuss what is attractive about the demographics of a particular store location, but she was happy to discuss what Wegmans shops for in general.
“Certainly, we look at income’’ when examining the profiles of likely host communities, Natale said. “That is probably the number one key that we are looking at, but it’s not the only thing we are looking at.’’
Wegmans’ push into Burlington follows on the heels of a sizable new Whole Foods grocery store at the Legacy Place mall just off Route 128 in Dedham, as well as another Whole Foods in the works at a planned, upscale shopping destination by the highway in Lynnfield.
And that may be just the start, with supermarket executives scouting out other locations along the transportation corridor, according to Robert Buckley, a senior partner with Riemer & Braunstein LLP, a national law firm with an office in Burlington, who helped secure Wegmans the local permits it needs to build its new store.
Buckley said Wegmans plans to begin construction next spring on a 140,000-square-foot monster of a store in Burlington’s Northwest Park, which is slated for redevelopment into high-end housing, retail stores, outdoor cafes, and office space.
Scheduled to open in 2013, the sprawling supermarket will include, among other features, a 15,000-square-foot market cafe that Wegmans hopes will become a magnet for office workers on their lunch hour, and even for residents interested in a casual dinner as well, he said.
Whole Foods, in turn, has emerged as a key tenant for Legacy Place, its importance rising over the past year with the bankruptcy of the Borders chain and the shutdown of its big store at the Dedham retail complex.
