NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) -- A much-needed grocery store is coming to an area of Newport News that is a well-known food desert.
A Piggly Wiggly supermarket will replace the former Jim's Local Market in the Southeast Community. The announcement was made Tuesday night at the Newport News city council meeting, The Daily Press reports.
City Councilman Marcellus Harris III said it would open on June 19.
Jim's Local Market closed at the end of January, less than two years after first opening its doors on Jefferson Avenue, near 30th Street. The location was meant to end a food desert, which is an area of the city with limited access to fresh food.
There are entire swaths of neighborhoods across the country where residents don't have access to fresh food. Many times, there is a higher rate of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in these areas.
"I think every single child in Virginia deserves access to an apple. They should have the choice of whether to choose a bag of Cheetos or an apple, and I think many kids really do want to have that option. Families and parents want their kids to have that option," said Melissa Assalone with the American Heart Association.
Jim's Local Market was meant to end one such food desert in Newport News, as the next closest grocery store is several miles away. But despite opening in May 2016 to much acclaim, owner Jim Scanlon shuttered the business earlier this year, citing low sales and a lack of profitability.
Piggly Wiggly is a national grocery chain that operates more than 500 stores, mostly in the Southeast and Midwest. The only other Piggly Wiggly location in Hampton Roads is on East Princess Anne Road in Norfolk.
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