Weis Market is set to open its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified store. The supermarket, which operates in 162 store locations in 5 states, announced that the opening will be on December 9th in Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. The opening of this store has been an anticipated event by both the management and the various stakeholders in the industry. This is in an effort to increase the profitability of the company by reaching a wider customer base. The increase in the number of stalls is also seen as a measure of reaching out to new customers by bringing the services nearer to them.

The LEED certification is awarded by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). To get this certification, an institution needs to have significantly mitigated or reduced environmental impact in five areas, namely material selection, sustainable site development, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency and water savings. These are the standards that Weis Markets Inc. had to meet to get the certification.

The new superstore is 65,800-square-foot and is the first LEED certified store in Weis’ chain of supermarkets. The new location will have at least 160 associates serving customers. Founded in the year 1912, the Pennsylvania-based supermarket chain has stores located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia and New York.

The new supermarket in Fogelsville will have a much bigger perishables department that will include a fresh produce department of organic fresh produce with wider offerings. There will be beer sold in the in-store café, as well as a pharmacy, among other amenities. These are among the products that this chain of supermarkets prides itself in distributing.