Customers visiting the brand new Wegmans Manhattan store on Astor Place were abruptly evacuated this afternoon.
The 87,500 square foot space was manned with a whopping 600 newly hired employees just days ago.
But eager shoppers were asked to stand on the curbside as the store was cleared out late on Friday afternoon.
.com understands that an alarm went off in the superstore and customers were asked to leave until the fire crews cleared out.
After patient shoppers waited outside on the curb – without knowing what had happened to cause the sudden evacuation – they were finally let back in to continue their grocery shopping.
Customers visiting the brand new Wegmans Manhattan store on Astor Place were abruptly evacuated this afternoon
The 87,500 square foot space was manned with a whopping 600 newly hired employees just days ago
Eager shoppers were asked to stand on the curbside as the store was cleared out late on Friday afternoon
.com understands that an alarm went off in the superstore and customers were asked to leave until the fire crews cleared out
The supermarket giant’s arrival was Wegman’s first foray into Manhattan and the latest of its more than 100 stores along the east coast.
But around 4:40pm on Friday afternoon, employees could be seen standing outside the entrance to make sure nobody re-entered the premises.
Emergency vehicles circled the parameter with sirens blazing as customers waited outside.
The Manhattan store formed as part of a wider expansion of the Wegmans brand. In March it announced plans to open its first store in Connecticut.
Wegmans Food Markets is famed for its fresh baked goods, Buffalo wings and extensive cheese selection.
It has 109 stores located along the east coast – with the bulk of locations in New York State. Others are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Virginia and North Carolina.
The Astor Place store will be the second in New York City following the October 2019 opening of a location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It is in the building that once housed Wanamaker’s Department Store.
The Manhattan store forms part of a wider expansion of the Wegmans brand. In March it announced plans to open its first store in Connecticut.
The Astor Place store’s hours opening hours 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.