The Hi-Lo Supermarket chain, owned by the GraceKennedy Group (GK), aims to expand to new locations over the next few years amid officially opening its first in a series of renovated stores on Friday.

“We are in expansion mode and will look carefully at new locations in the next few years. So we are fully committed to food retail,” stated Don Wehby, chief executive at GK, at the official opening at the Manor Park store in uptown Kingston on Friday.

GK will next renovate the Barbican store in Kingston, followed by a location in Montego Bay. It’s part of a previously reported $1-billion investment in upgrading its 14 stores islandwide.

A decade ago Hi-lo tamed its expansion drive amid the introduction of superstores including the Gazan Azan-owned MegaMart chain and also the US- owned PriceSmart chain. But Hi-Lo also had competition from the Progressive Group, a consortium whose individual owners operate some 30 supermarkets; and also the then rapidly growing SuperPlus chain which subsequently retreated to its Mandeville base.

The Manor Park supermarket remained open during the renovation and Andrea Coy, senior general manager, global category management, thanked customers for their patience during the upgrade.

“GK remains committed to food retailing in Jamaica and as such has committed US$8 million to the renovation and upgrade of our stores across the island. Manor Park was completed late-2014 and we have two stores scheduled to be competed in 2015,” Coy added in her address. “Its the second time in nine years that we renovated the [Manor Park store], the first having been completed in 2005 which saw the addition of fellow GK subsidiary First Global Bank.”

The remodelled supermarket is outfitted with expanded shelf space, new floors, new ceilings, modern lighting, increased cash registers and new refrigeration units. Hi-Lo reportedly acquired equipment from Supermarket Source, an US-based firm that specialises in supermarket and grocery store equipment and supplies. Local architects Martin Lyn & Associates were contracted to deal with external building design, construction management and project management, while Core Retail Group Inc was responsible for store design.