Land clearing and major surface work at the site of where a Kroger Marketplace will be built began in the beginning of August, but Wednesday, representatives from Statesboro, Bulloch County and Kroger took time to celebrate with an “official groundbreaking.”
The 99,992-square-foot Kroger will be the anchor destination of the 21-acre shopping center at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway (the Bypass) and Cypress Lake Road. For comparison, the Publix store, not counting outbuildings, covers about 49,000 square feet and the Walmart Supercenter about 186,000.
The shopping center also will feature a Kroger Fuel Center, four more-or-less one-acre outparcels for restaurants, stores or shops, and 10,850 square feet of additional retail space.
Jonathan Orr, who is Kroger’s District 12 manager, which covers Savannah, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Bluffton and will include Statesboro when it opens next year, said construction is on track for a fall 2027 opening.
“We are really excited about the Statesboro market,” Orr said. “At Kroger, our purpose is simple but powerful, and that's to feed the human spirit. The new marketplace represents a $45.7 million investment in the Statesboro community and Bulloch County. It's going to bring an additional 250 to 300 jobs here.
“The biggest thing we recognize in making this investment is also making an investment in the well-being of our neighbors across Statesboro and Bulloch County. I want to let everybody know how excited we are to be part of the community and given this opportunity to grow with you guys.”
The store will feature a bakery, deli, meat and fresh produce departments, along with Murray’s Cheese, freshly prepared sushi, household, baby, toy and pet departments, an expanded health and beauty selection and a full-service pharmacy with drive-thru service.
Tammie Young-Ennaemba, Kroger’s corporate affairs manager based in Atlanta, spoke about Kroger’s commitment to being a solid corporate citizen.
“Through our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, we want to make sure that we're bringing nutritious foods to those who need it most in the community,” she said. “Our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste mission is about making sure that we do our part to help remove hunger in all of the communities that we serve. So, we are a partner with (the Statesboro) Food Bank team.”
In fact, the Foundation gave a $10,000 grant to the Statesboro Food Bank in December 2025.
“Also, we want to make sure that we're not wasting food and putting it in the landfills,” Young-Ennaemba said. “In 2025 alone, Kroger donated over 22 million meals back into the community. We saved nearly five million pounds of food waste sent to the landfill by getting it out to be distributed in communities.”
On behalf of Statesboro and Bulloch County, Mayor Jonathan McCollar offered an official welcome to Kroger.
“We're looking for partners that think the way that we think in our community,” he said. “So, to have someone invest $45 million plus into our community, while still understanding that we're working to serve the most vulnerable folks in our community is an amazing blessing all into itself.”
“So, we want to welcome the Kroger family to our family. Welcome to Statesboro. Welcome to Bulloch County.”