TURNER — The new Turner Hannaford will hold a grand opening celebration on Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21

Saturday starts with a 7 a.m. flag-raising ceremony by the Turner American Legion Post. A year’s worth of groceries and four months of groceries will be given away. The newspaper will have coupons good for $15 in groceries. On Sunday, each purchaser of more than $10 in groceries will receive a free, reusable grocery bag.

Of the 90 permanent associates, more than 60 percent are newly hired local residents, while many others are local residents who have transferred from other Hannaford stores.

“We look forward to growing our partnerships with local residents and organizations,” Store Manager Kim Kuusela said.

She said they will try to obtain as much produce as possible from local sources. “Close to Home” signs will be used to designate Maine farm products. Organic meat from Caldwell Family Farms, apple products from Ricker Hill Orchards, desserts and snacks from Knowlton Corner Farm and Lucarelli baked goods from Livermore Baking Co. will be featured.

Hannaford pushes environmental efforts. The 35,000-square-foot store was built to the standards of “Leadership Environmental and Energy Design.” Waste heat from the refrigeration system is captured to heat the building. LED lighting, iceless seafood cases and thermal curtains for night use on cool cases are some of the energy-saving innovations incorporated into the store design. It is the first supermarket in the country to exclusively use carbon dioxide refrigerant.

To ensure freshness, produce and other food items are brought in every day. The bakers come in early to provide fresh bakery products. Every day, food is given to local food banks. Produce that is unusable is composted by a contractor.

The store will feature expanded organic, natural and gluten-free selections. These will be clearly marked and integrated on the shelves with similar products.

“Hannaford is committed to offering customers great fresh products and a wide selection of other grocery, health and beauty, and pharmacy items they need, at low everyday prices with excellent customer service,” Kuusela said.

In addition to signs, the store will provide printed store layout guides and have associates circulating to help customers find what they want. The brand-new shopping buggies will receive regular maintenance, she said.

Hannaford uses “Guiding Stars” to help customers find the most nutritious foods. Foods are given one, two, or three stars based on their nutritional value.

To save the customer time, each cash register is equipped with a “QueueBuster” scanner. When a line backs up, a manager can use the QueueBuster to scan the orders of customers in line.

Through Dec. 31, the pharmacy is giving free memberships in their “Healthy Saver” program. This program offers select oral antibiotics at no cost, 30-day supplies of over 450 generic prescription drugs for $4 and 90-day supplies for $9.99. There is a drive-through prescription window for those in a hurry and a small office for receiving shots or for consulting with the pharmacists.

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