Publisher Bailey Hufstetler
K-VA-T Food Stores, the parent company for Food City, had executives at the Rhea County Commission meeting last night to ask the County Commission for a property tax abatement to aide in their efforts to relocate their store. In 2021, K-VA-T Food Stores bought a piece of property off of Abel Dr close to Zaxbys in hopes to build a brand new, 54,000 square foot store that will include a five-pump gas-station, an expanded seafood and meat section, and a Starbucks.
According to Food City Officials, the building of this new store will add 79 jobs to the current 121 jobs that the current location already employs bringing the new total to 200 employees.
It’s estimated that the City and County will receive a $460,000 increase in tax revenue which could end up totaling $2.4 million annual tax revenue for both Dayton and Rhea County. Dayton City Commission met with Food City Executives earlier in the day yesterday, and has gotten on board with the project. The County Commission also voted at last nights meeting to move forward into the process.
Food City officials did also mention that they have spoken with a few other companies in the industry and one of them is interested in Dayton and could potentially move into the old location once Food City vacates that property. That specific company was not named at last nights meeting.
K-VA-T Food Stores Inc is an American supermarket chain with stores located in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Food City moved into Dayton in late 2015 after the privately held family and employee-owned corporation bought the Chattanooga region’s Bi-Lo Food Stores portfolio.
K-VA-T Food Stores’ beginning came in 1955 when Jack C. Smith, his father Curtis, cousin Ernest, and uncle Earl opened their first Piggly Wiggly in Grundy, VA. The company later acquired several other Piggly Wiggly locations in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, followed by Quality Foods/Food City, White Stores, Winn Dixie and BI-LO stores in east Tennessee and north Georgia. Food City recently acquired the Cooke’s/Fresh n’ Low family of stores in the greater Cleveland, TN area. Now the chain includes 130 Food City locations (with 119 pharmacies and 116 fuel/convenience stores), 5 Fresh n’ Low and 1 Cooke’s Food Store & Pharmacy locations, 4 Super Dollar Food Center limited assortment stores, 4 wine & spirits stores and 6 Curt’s Ace Hardware stores.
No date has been announced yet on when the project will begin. You can count on The Rhea County Observer to keep you updated on this developing story.
This article was written by Publisher Bailey Hufstetler. You can reach him for comment at bailey@rheacountyobserver.com
Congrats Alex!! Also a congrats to the City and County for continuing to use Food City and growing with them in our community.