Flooring retailer eyes old Shop Rite

A flooring retailer wants to open at the former Shop Rite supermarket in West Hartford, a property that’s been vacant for nearly two years. The Atlanta-based Floor & Decor plans to use the empty building to house its third Connecticut location.

The company presented its plan to town officials Tuesday night, and it will be the subject of a public hearing by the town council in late September.

If the project goes through, Floor & Decor would open a warehouse-style flooring center in the 71,000-square-foot building, which is part of the Prospect Plaza shopping center.

The property is north of the heart of the Design District, but would still fall loosely within that unofficial section of town.

Floor & Decor sells to homeowners and other individuals as building professionals. When it opened its Austin, Texas, store this week, the company invited local builders, contractors, architects, designers, remodelers, flooring installers and realtors individual tours.

The company operates in 33 states, but Texas, Florida and California account for nearly half of that. The Austin location is its 150th, and the chain said in its most recent annual report that it envisions 400 within the next eight to 10 years.

Floor & Decor’s typical store is 78,000 square feet and targets annual sales of $12 to $15 million, according to the company. It stocks an extensive variety of tile, wood, laminate, vinyl and natural stone flooring.

The company would lease the space from the shopping center’s owner, Prospect Plaza Improvements LLC. Currently, town assessors value the entire plaza — including the smaller shops, a standalone building and parking — at slightly less than $24 million.

Floor & Decor would make minor modifications to the former supermarket, its façade and its parking lot.

“These improvements will affect not only Prospect Plaza, but the overall community, by beginning the restoration to an older shopping plaza site and ultimately enriching the customer experience,” according to a memo from Jeffrey Bord, project manager with Bohler Engineering, the West Hartford company representing Floor & Decor.

Town Manager Matt Hart advised the council in a memo Monday that “the proposed improvements may lead to modest grand list growth,” and said town staff see no operational concerns for West Hartford.

After Shop Rite took over Shaw’s supermarket locations in 2010, it served as the anchor tenant for Prospect Plaza. The shopping center along Prospect Avenue also has about 10 storefront retailers and small restaurants.

Shop Rite closed in November of 2019 citing bad business conditions despite the location’s proximity to I-84.