Capano family opens 3rd ShopRite, this one in Clinton

June 20, 2010 12:00 am • Last Updated: June 20, 2010 3:42 am

By By ANTHONY CRONIN Day Business Editor

From left, Jeff Nicholls of Acosta Foods, Rick Rostosky of Crossmark and Tim Stocken of Acosta fill shelves in the frozen-food section of the new ShopRite in Clinton Wednesday.

Ken Capano Jr. and his brother Scott say that opening a new supermarket is second nature to them.

They grew up listening to their father, Ken Capano Sr., talk about the grocery business, and they've worked in the business for many years.

So now, as the Capano family prepares to open their third, and newest, supermarket - the first across the Connecticut River in Clinton - there's still a few details to work out before the store opens on Wednesday, including consulting with the workers finishing up the store's $2 million renovation and checking in with the Wakefern Food Corp. officials assisting with the store's opening.

The Clinton store, which will become the ShopRite of Clinton, was a former Shaw's supermarket site. The New Jersey-based Wakefern Food Corp., the food cooperative that supplies ShopRite stores, acquired 11 former Shaw's markets after that chain decided to shutter 18 of its stores and end operations in Connecticut.

For the Capanos, one supermarket's chain's departure presented an exciting opportunity for them to expand their family-owned supermarket business. The Capanos already operate the ShopRite supermarkets in New London and in Norwich.

"This one was close to us, and it fit in appropriately for us," says Ken Capano Sr. as he surveys the 51,000-square-foot market. The Clinton store, undergoing an extensive upgrade and refurbishment, is the smallest of the three Capano holdings.

The New London store, located in the New London Mall complex, is 65,000 square feet and the Norwich store, located off West Main Street, is 70,000 square feet.

Energy efficiency

The smaller size doesn't deter the Capanos. They're taking their same family grocers' approach to the new store, stocking its shelves with a diverse inventory of food and grocery items, expanding the produce section and deli areas and equipping the 20-year-old store with plenty of new, more energy efficient equipment.

"We want to make this a modern supermarket," says Capano. "It's just the way we merchandise," he says of the renovations and improvements going on in the supermarket.

Once the Clinton store officially opens its doors, Ken Capano Jr. will lead its day-to-day operations. The senior Capano oversees all the operations, having decades of supermarket experience through the ShopRite chain. In addition to their supermarket responsibilities, the Capanos also have interests in real estate and food services.

The younger Capanos own the popular Harp & Dragon Pub in Norwich, which is soon to open an expanded area that will more than double the size of the popular downtown eatery.

In addition, Scott Capano says a second Harp & Dragon will open in downtown New London on Bank Street in the fall.

The grocery business, however, remains the Capanos main bread-and-butter calling. They're all steeped in the food trade, and the sons joke that their father would talk the "food business" every night at the kitchen table as they grew up.

As the Capanos escort a visitor around their soon-to-open Clinton store, they easily explain industry jargon and the reasoning behind the setup of their supermarket - perishables, from fruit to milk, on the store's perimeter, grocery items in the middle, deli in the back of the store, warehousing and equipment in the far back.

Focus on customers

Talks by the Capanos to acquire the former Shaw's supermarket began in the early spring of this year. The family closed on the deal in April, and then the work began in earnest. "We were in here the next day" after the deal closed, says Ken Capano Jr. The supermarket has undergone an extensive transformation, with new flooring throughout, new energy-efficient lighting overhead, new larger restrooms, a new community room, various new freezers and large new tanks for the seafood section.

The Capanos also proudly talk about what makes their family-run supermarkets distinct from the competition, which are largely mega-sized food store chains. Their stores feature a large deli and expanded fresh-meat section. All the meats, add the Capanos, are freshly cut and prepared by their own meat cutters, which is becoming a bit of a rarity in the chain-driven world of supermarkets. The produce arrives fresh daily, and the Clinton store's produce area, which first greets visitors arriving through the front doors, has been expanded. Besides the variety of foods and grocery items from name-brand retailers, the store also features the private label ShopRite brand.

"We'll operate here as we do with all are other stores," says Scott Capano.

As nearly a hundred workers put the finishing touches on the store, and inventory specialists busily stock the remaining shelves with food items, Scott Capano pays tribute to the supermarket's main contractor, F. William Brown Construction, a Norwich-area company.

"They've been integral to opening," he says. "They're a major partner in getting this done on time."

Despite some work that still remains - final shelves to be stocked properly, produce to arrive, deli and seafood areas to display their goods - the Capanos say they'll be ready and awaiting their first customers in person when the store holds its official grand opening on Wednesday at 9 a.m. with local dignitaries.

"The biggest competitive advantage we have is being locally owned," says Ken Capano Sr. "It really does allow us to be in tune with our customers."

Adds Ken Capano Jr., "We're not a me-too supermarket, and we're not a cookie cutter variety. We live here, we play here, and we work here."