Roche Bros. Announces Opening Date of Downtown Crossing's First-Ever Supermarket

WELLESLEY, Mass., April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche Bros., the locally owned and family-operated grocer, is pleased to announce that its flagship Downtown Crossing supermarket will open on Wednesday, April 29 in the newly restored Burnham Building. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m., followed by a full day of festivities in and outside the store.

Roche Bros. is the first large-scale grocery store to be built in Boston's Downtown Crossing. The store will offer the growing residential neighborhood fresh food, favorite national grocery brands, local artisan finds, New England flavors and a wide selection of creative prepared foods. The new 25,000-square-foot market, located at 8 Summer Street, will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

For Roche Bros. CEO Rick Roche and his brother, COO Ed Roche, opening a new store in Boston expands their presence in the heart of the city where Roche Bros. began: "The Roche family has been part of the Boston community since 1952 when our dad Pat and Uncle Bud opened a small neighborhood meat market in Roslindale Square. We've grown up and expanded over the past 60 years, and it is special to our family to be opening a new location right in the very heart of the city. We are honored to have earned this place in the community and are looking forward to serving our new neighborhood," said Rick Roche.   

At the street level, customers will find an extensive array of ready-to-eat food, straight from Roche Bros. kitchen – including satisfying meals, healthy snacks and sweet treats for any time of day. Special highlights include Roche Bros. signature chocolate chip cookies and a coffee bar. Street side seating and an outdoor fruit and flower stand will provide added convenience along one of New England's busiest pedestrian malls. 

Downstairs, in the former space of the historic Filene's Basement, is a full-service supermarket, where customers can shop for a vast assortment of fresh food, national and local grocery brands and prepared foods. The market is complete with a bakery, deli, specialty cheeses, high-quality meats at great value and fresh-off-the-boat seafood.

Convenient features include the produce department's "Chop Shop" where home cooks can choose from more than 40 varieties of veggies cut fresh daily in the store, chef-style and recipe-ready. The Downtown Crossing location will offer Boston customers services to suit their busy lifestyles, such as full-service catering for business and social events, festive event packages for special occasions, and grocery delivery to the home or office after shopping in the store. Online ordering with home delivery will also be available, like other Roche Bros. locations.

Three long-time Roche Bros. employees have been appointed to the Downtown Crossing leadership team and are poised to extend the company's signature service to their new neighborhood. Larry Baxter, a Roche Bros. associate since 1983, will serve as store manager. Marvin Alvarez and Krystle Bredeson, both Roche Bros. veterans of over 16 years, have been named assistant managers. 

In total, the Downtown Crossing store will employ approximately 70 full-time associates and more than 200 part-time team members, creating more than 250 new jobs for the area.

Millennium Partners, developer of Millennium Tower Boston and the Burnham Building, the site of the new Roche Bros. store, is pleased to see the area receiving much-needed grocery services.

"We are very proud that a family-owned business with deep roots in the community and a focus on quality will play a prominent role in the transformation of the neighborhood, and the historic Burnham Building," said Richard Baumert, partner at Millennium Partners. "The downtown opening of Roche Bros. will serve the very active community who live and work nearby, including residents of Millennium Place and Millennium Tower Boston."  

Rosemarie Sansone, president of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District (BID), agreed. "I have no doubt that Roche Bros. will be a great addition to downtown Boston," she said. "As the first grocery store in the area, this is something residents, businesses, office workers and visitors are going to greatly benefit from, and we are thrilled to be welcoming Roche Bros. to the neighborhood."

Opening Day Events

On April 29, opening day will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony from 9:30-10 a.m. Then, throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the store's offerings will extend into Summer Street with outdoor sampling booths as part of the "Road to Roche Bros." grand opening festivities.

In the evening, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Boston-based country band Dalton & the Sheriffs will play a free concert for guests just outside the Summer Street entrance.

Nods to History

The Roche Bros. flagship market is located in the Millennium Tower Boston/Burnham Building, once home to the original Filene's Department Store. Roche Bros. will honor the property's history with prominent displays of historic photographs.

Notably, the building's original centuries-old steel columns remain exposed on the lower level, and original terracotta tiles have been preserved in the street level retail space.

Understanding that the iconic building has a sentimental connection for Bostonians, developer Millennium Partners paid homage to its historic architecture, maintaining the Burnham Building's original facade. New ultra-modern glass walls along the sides marry the original Beaux Art architecture with modern luxury construction that establishes the Burnham Building and adjacent Millennium Tower Boston as a contemporary destination.

About Roche Bros.
Roche Bros. is a family business, employing more than 4,800 associates in its 21 Roche Bros., Sudbury Farms and Brothers Marketplace grocery stores. Headquartered in Wellesley, Mass., Roche Bros. offers the highest quality meat, seafood and produce, favorite food brands, full-service catering, and home delivery. Second generation owners Rick and Ed Roche carry on the family tradition, operating Roche Bros. with a passion for great food and great customer service. www.rochebros.com

Lisa Lazarczyk 
[email protected] or 781-646-0667

SOURCE Roche Bros. Supermarkets

Related Links

http://www.rochebros.com