Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, New York, plans to invest $175 million to establish a full-service, regional distribution operation in Hanover County, Virginia, which will create 700 new jobs. The new campus in Ashland, Virginia, will allow the company to expand its distribution network on the East Coast and accommodate its growing retail footprint.

Wegmans is a 101-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina.

“This site has the right combination of everything we were looking for in terms of proximity to our stores and workforce and is located in a Commonwealth that we have partnered with for many years,” said Wegman’s president and chief executive officer Colleen Wegman. “Once it’s up and running, this facility will allow us to deliver products to our southernmost stores with increased speed and freshness and will help support our growth well into the future.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) worked with Hanover County and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam approved a $2.35 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Hanover County with the project. Wegmans is also eligible to receive a Major Business Facilities Job Tax Credit for new, full-time jobs created.