Article originally published in the Columbus Dispatch, written by Anna Lynn Winfrey
Chris and Larry Murlin moved to Jerome Township about six years ago from Dayton. They have had to drive about 10-15 minutes, depending on traffic, to get to the nearest grocery store. But with the opening of a new Kroger off U.S. Route 42, they are now just a 3-minute drive away.
Hundreds of people lined up in the early morning on a crisp fall morning outside the first new Kroger in central Ohio in 15 years. Some local students added to the fanfare: The marching band from Fairbanks High School and cheerleaders from Jerome High School in Dublin City Schools welcomed some of the first shoppers.
The new supermarket is in one of the fastest growing parts of Ohio, as former farmland on the outskirts of Columbus is redeveloped into the sprawling metropolitan area. The site was selected because of the high residential growth — and the new amenity could attract more housing to the area.
Why Kroger opened a new store in Jerome Township
A nearby grocery store was long awaited by new residents of the Jerome Village development, one of the largest developed communities in central Ohio.
“There are so many people this is going to affect. … Some people have had to drive miles to get to a store like this; now they can just hop on (U.S. Route) 42,” Union County Commissioner Dave Lawrence said. “I’m so glad Kroger decided to locate a store here.”
Kroger’s corporate leaders approved the store last summer, and construction began about a year ago, said Mark Bruce, a corporate affairs manager for Kroger.
“We like to say our stores follow the houses because the backbone of any community is all the amenities you need, and a grocery store is one of the number one amenities,” Bruce said.
Building this store cost about $38 million. Kroger also put in $20 million this year into remodeling 17 other stores, Bruce said.
Kroger hired about 150 new people to staff the new store, store manager Nicole Thomas said — and over 100 people transferred within Kroger to work there.
Thomas has worked for Kroger for eight years. She started managing the Jerome Township store in August, and one of the first tasks was bringing all the leadership for the store and its departments on board.
Kroger is breaking ground on another store in the Powell area, near Olentangy Liberty High School, Bruce said.
This will be a 123,000-square-foot store near Home Road and Sawmill Parkway, with an estimated opening in late 2025.
The Jerome Township store that just opened, 12116 Sycamore Trace, is in Union County and has a Plain City mailing address but is in an unincorporated part of the township. It is within Fairbanks Local School District but is also close to the boundaries of Dublin City Schools.
The store is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
