Phil Castle, The Business Times

City Market grocery store long planned for a site near 12th Street and Patterson Road in Grand Junction has opened.

The new location is the first for City Market since the grocery store chain opened a store on 24 Road in Grand Junction late in 2010, said Kelli McGannon, a spokeswoman for City Market.

The new 62,000 square-foot building on 12th Street houses a number of features, McGannon said, among them a pharmacy with a drive-through window, wellness center and healthy and beauty care center. The new store also features a Murray’s Cheese speciality foods outlet and Starbucks coffee shop. In addition, the site includes a fueling center.

While City Market has developed best practices used at all of its stores, no two operations are alike, McGannon said. “It isn’t one size fits all.” Rather, new stores are and their operations are designed to fit into the neighborhoods where they’re located and serve local customers, she said.

The new store employs 125 associates, McGannon said.

The location at 12th Street and Patterson has been planned for nearly a decade, McGannon said. While a lot of considerations go into determining where to build a new store, she said it’s mostly about identifying and serving the needs of shoppers.

After the disruptions associated with nine months of construction at the site, McGannon said she hopes area residents agree the new store makes it all worth it.

As part of a grand opening celebration, City Market donated $10,000 to St. Mary’s Hospital to support breast cancer programs.

Counting the new store, City Market operates 33 locations in Colorado and one location each in New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

City Market is part of the Kroger Co., a retailer that operates a total of more than 2,600 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 34 states and District of Columbia. Along with City Market, Kroger operates stores under two dozen local banner names that include Kroger as well as Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.