As the outlying communities of Delaware's beach resorts continue expanding, two major food retailers are putting locations into one area that currently has very limited choices.

Giant Food Inc. and Harris Teeter Inc. are opening new supermarkets this May on the eastbound side of Route 24 near Long Neck.

The new supermarkets will bring more jobs to the area, as well as more shopping options for residents. Currently, the only choice for groceries, without going to Millsboro or the Rehoboth Beach area, is a Food Lion.

While the Giant chain is already established in coastal Sussex County, having one store near Rehoboth and another in Millville, Harris Teeter is not as well-known to Delaware residents. Being based in North Carolina, the only other nearby Harris Teeter is in Selbyville, which opened just last year.

Long Neck resident Pushpa Patel said she is happy the new supermarkets are coming to the area because it will give residents more options for purchasing household items.

"Before it was only Food Lion," she said, "now you get a choice of where you want to go shopping."

Both stores will be around 52,000 square feet, the average for Giant's newer locations, but a little larger than most Harris Teeters.

When the opportunity arose to use a larger footprint, said Harris Teeter Director of Communications Jennifer Panetta, the company took it. The larger store, she said, will allow them to carry a wider assortment of items.

As for why Harris Teeter has chosen to expand into coastal Delaware, she pointed to the general popularity of their locations in similar areas.

"We have had a lot of success in our coastal stores," Panetta said, which she believes will continue in Long Neck, based on the company's reputation for great customer service.

Giant Public Affairs manager Jamie Miller said that after the company reviewed Long Neck's demographic information, they saw a need for another large supermarket in that area and the one-stop shopping a Giant would provide.

"We felt that there was an opportunity to come in and fill that need," he said.

It is a great community, Panetta said of Long Neck, and Harris Teeter wants to be the newest neighbor.

source: delmarvanow.com