PCC Natural Markets opens store in Redmond, Wash.
Local, organic food products and eco-friendly features distinguish PCC's newest location
Seattle, Wash., May 5, 2006 — PCC Natural Markets (PCC) will open its eighth store in Redmond, WA on Wed. May 17. Redmond mayor, Rosemarie Ives, will perform a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 8 a.m., to which the public is invited, and then the store will officially open for business.
The 23,382 sq. ft. grocery store, located at 11435 Avondale Rd. N.E. (at the intersection of Avondale and N.E. 116th), will offer greater Redmond area shoppers a wide selection of organic and natural products in one of the "greenest" structures in King County. Building enhancements that maximize energy efficiency and minimize waste are expected to qualify the store for LEED certification, which would make PCC Redmond the third grocery store in the country to be awarded this distinction, and the first to attain the LEED Gold level.
"We are very pleased that PCC is able to respond to the many requests we've received for another Eastside location," said Tracy Wolpert, CEO. "It has been very gratifying to work with many local producers and community groups in bringing our fresh, natural shopping experience to Redmond and surrounding neighborhoods."
The new store will showcase an expansive produce department featuring local, organic and seasonal fruits and vegetables; a 100% natural meat and sustainable seafood department; a full-service deli with a fresh sushi bar; and an extensive selection of domestic and imported wines and beers. It also features interior and exterior customer seating, and a state-of-the-art classroom and teaching kitchen, where cooking classes for adults and children be will offered through the popular PCC Cooks program.
PCC announced its plans to enter the Redmond market in August 2005, and assembled a store development team comprised of Velocipede Architects, the Freehold Group, and Woodman Construction. According to Lori Ross, PCC's director of store development, "We worked with Velocipede Architects and the Freehold Group in developing our Fremont store, which opened in 2003. We were happy to have them involved again, and to bring Woodman Construction on board for Redmond."
Physically and operationally, the new store will reflect PCC's commitment to sustainable business practices, from the building's energy efficient features to the use of biodegradable shopping bags. By day, the sales area will be lit by natural light enhanced by 28 skylights specially glazed to block solar heat. Energy efficient fixtures will provide lighting well below Washington State's Energy Code, and timers and sensors have been installed to minimize usage of all store energy-consuming systems.
The store's space heating, hot water heating, and refrigeration systems have been designed so that they are interconnected, making it possible for the refrigeration system's waste heat to be utilized by the other systems. All building products were selected for low VOCs (volatile organic compounds), all office furniture, tables, and outdoor seating have been obtained from re-use sources, and cabinetry throughout the entire store is made of Skyblend, a 100 percent recycled material.
The new store will be open for business daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and will be staffed by over 80 full and part-time employees. Food sampling and cooking demonstrations celebrating the store's opening are scheduled through Sunday, May 21. Cooking classes will be offered at PCC Redmond starting June 13.
About PCC Natural Markets: Headquartered in Seattle, Wash., PCC Natural Markets is a certified organic retailer and the nation's largest community-owned natural foods retailer. It has annual sales of $93 million and an active membership of nearly 40,000. PCC operates eight King County locations serving the Fremont, Greenlake, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Seward Park, View Ridge and West Seattle neighborhoods.