Grocery Chain looks at Hill

The Save-A-Lot grocery store chain says it has some interest in putting a store in the hill district but officials say they are in the very preliminary phases of the evaluation process. Save-A-Lot boasts 1,180 stores in 39 states including 6 in southwestern Pennsylvania and the company thinks there is room to add 4 more stores in the area. Save-a-Lot director of development Dick Koop says the chain focuses on the 44-percent of US households with incomes of 35 thousand dollars or less and it likes to be close to those homes. He says the Hill District seems to fit the bill. Hill residents in the past have called for what the term a “full service” grocery store with a pharmacy, bakery and baggers. Koop says they see providing high quality produce, meat and other groceries while hiring local workers as being full service. Save-A-Lot looked at the Hill in the past and decided to not open a store. Koop says the community looks more appealing today than it may have then.