Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. opens the doors of its new neighborhood format store at Atwells Avenue/Eagle Square in Providence, Rhode Island on Friday, May 23, 2003. At over 65,000 square feet, the layout and product offering of the new store reflects the ethnically rich community of Providence.

“Shaw’s Supermarkets is very proud to be able to bring this new and exciting shopping experience to the people of Providence,” Said Paul Gannon, Shaw’s President & CEO. “Providence is among the most ethnically diverse cities in the region. This new neighborhood format is part of a wonderful redevelopment initiative that is changing an entire community. Shaw’s has worked with local community leaders, neighborhood organizations and the City of Providence to develop a store that meets the needs of the residents of the area. Providence – we are proud to be your neighbor and proud to open the doors of your new store.”

“Providence is a great city with exciting and diverse neighborhoods; Shaw’s will be a terrific new member of the Federal Hill business community – opening up job opportunities and contributing to the rich quality of life in our neighborhoods. We are just delighted to welcome them to our city,” said Providence Mayor David Cicilline.

“We are pleased to have Shaw’s Supermarkets open this state-of-the-art Neighborhood Market in our Eagle Square mixed-use project. The project has been many years in development and Shaw’s has been steadfast in its commitment to this location and this neighborhood. The supermarket will serve as a wonderful anchor to our project and already been the major catalyst for major development in the area,” commented Gene Beaudoin of Feldco Development Corp., the developers of the project.

The Offering

Shaw’s tailored the product offering of the Atwells Store to the local, diverse neighborhoods. Included in this offering is an expanded line of ethnic foods, entire aisles dedicated to our Latino and Italian heritages, a spectacular produce section with over 1,000 offerings from all over the world, Shop the World and Wild Harvest specialty sections that cater to the true diversity of Providence. Some of the specialty shops in the store will include an expanded line of with a focus on local vendors. Shaw’s has reached out to family-owned businesses like Ciao Italia Bakery in Johnston who will be providing wine biscuits, biscotti, and other bakery items; Guatemalan breads, rolls and cookies will be available from Xelapan Bakery in Central Falls; corn tortilla’s from Sanchez Tortilleria in Providence will be sold at this location; and we will be offering Wandies by the Ruggiero family in Cranston.

In addition, there will be a Kitchen Shop, George C. Shaw’s Coffee Company, large general merchandise section, Household Center and expanded Health and Beauty Care area. The store also features large service departments such as produce, bakery, deli, seafood, and floral. Shortly after opening, the Company plans to open a pharmacy at this location.

The Environment

Shaw’s Supermarkets is dedicated to reducing environmental impact through strategic leadership and management in all areas of our business. The Providence store utilizes state-of-the-art methods for energy conservation such as heat reclamation for space and water heating, frozen food cases with self-closing doors and metal halide lighting for efficiency.

About Shaw’s

Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. operates 187 Shaw’s and Star Market store locations and two distribution centers throughout the six New England states. The Company serves more than four million customers each week and has approximately 30,000 associates. During the most recently completed fiscal year, total Company sales were $4.4 billion. Shaw’s is a wholly-owned subsidiary of J Sainsbury plc.