BUCKHANNON – The new Shop ‘N Save on Route 20 will open quietly Monday, Dec. 14, the company’s director of operations said this week.

Bob Breitinger, director of operations for CGP Foods, which owns 14 grocery stores in West Virginia and one in Oakland, Maryland, said the long-anticipated opening of Shop ‘N Save will be a soft opening without fanfare due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are not going to have a grand opening, but we will be open at 8 a.m. Monday, December 14,” Breitinger told My Buckhannon via telephone Wednesday.

Shop ‘N Save, located in the former Save-A-Lot store, will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week and will have produce, meat, grocery, deli and bakery departments, Breitinger said.

“We took the Save-A-Lot and basically added a bakery and a deli,” he said. “We are happy to be doing business in Buckhannon.”

Breitinger said Shop ‘N Save plans to employ about 30 people, and what’s unique about CGP Foods is that it’s categorized as an ESOP, or employee stock ownership plan, meaning the head of CGP Foods, Craig Phillips, owns 51 percent of the company’s stock, while employees own 49 percent.

Breitinger said the Buckhannon location will be CGP’s 15th grocery store location. Grocery pickup is not currently available, and the store wanted to remind patrons to wear masks upon entering to protect themselves and others.