A new ShopRite supermarket set to debut in Sussex, New Jersey, next week is the first in the chain to include a hardware store-within-a-store, according to a Wednesday press release sent by email.

The supermarket, owned by RoNetco Supermarkets, features a True Value hardware department that “will have everything customers need for DIY and home improvement projects,” the announcement noted. RoNetco is a member of Wakefern Food, the retailer-owned cooperative that runs the ShopRite brand.

Located at 1 Wiebel Plaza, the grocery store will employ 250 workers and will hold a grand opening Oct. 25.

ShopRite is not alone in opting to meld a branded hardware section into a grocery store. In 2018, for example, Giant Eagle announced that it would add Ace Hardware outlets to several Pittsburgh locations, noting at the time that the move was aimed at improving the supermarket company's ability to "succeed in our increasingly competitive food retail environment."

In addition to the True Value section, the new ShopRite location includes a “Fresh-to-Table” prepared foods and deli department, joining several other Ronetco-operated stores that added that concept in mid-2022. The department features foods that are ready to cook, heat or eat and focuses on private labels, like Wholesome Pantry and Bowl & Basket.

In addition, the new ShopRite store sports a temperature-controlled, walk-in seafood market. The section includes a counter where employees will steam fish for shoppers while they walk around the store, offer cooking advice and help customers make selections.

The store also includes a full-service meat department offering Certified Angus Beef and staffed by butchers who will cut meat for shoppers upon request.