Cub Foods plans second Rochester store — nearly 40 years after first

ROCHESTER — Cub Foods is getting in on a growing business district in northwest Rochester.

The Minnesota grocery giant on Friday said it plans to open an 80,000-square-foot store at the northeast corner of Scott Road and Commerce Drive NW. It will also open an 8,500-square-foot liquor store with a wine-tasting bar.

The stores are set to open in spring 2024.

"Once completed, our new store will increase our accessibility to this thriving community and provide the service and quality that our Rochester neighbors have come to expect," Brian Audette, interim CEO of Cub Foods, said in a statement.

The new store follows a general trend in big business in Rochester: Many stores have two locations, one in the north side and one in the south. But for Cub, it took nearly four decades: Its first store opened in 1986 off 15th Avenue SE.

The coming Cub Foods will feature a gourmet popcorn section, vitamin shop and expanded deli and bakery areas. A pharmacy also is planned.

Developer Kraus-Anderson filed plans for the grocery store after buying 9 acres in the area in fall 2022 for close to $4.8 million, keeping with Rochester's current expansion plans to the northwest.

"Rochester is a growing city," said Charles Davis, a spokesman for Cub's parent company United Natural Foods Inc. "Cub is very much looking forward to being part of this area and serving this community."

Davis said customers in Rochester's west side, as well as in nearby cities such as Byron, Kasson and Dodge Center, have petitioned Cub for years to build a store closer to their homes.

The second Cub location is in a tight grocery area near Costco and Aldi stores. The store will also vie for customers against two Walmarts, two Targets and four Hy-Vee grocery stores in town.