Hannaford has bought the Tradewinds Marketplace in Blue Hill.
That Wednesday announcement comes more than two years after owners Chuck and Belinda Lawrence, who have retired, sold stores in Ellsworth, Orland, Veazie, Hampden, Brewer, Old Town, Eddington and Bangor to Massachusetts-based Energy North. They retained ownership of marketplaces in Blue Hill and Calais.
Tradewinds announced plans in May 2022 to replace Fox Brook Variety in Dover-Foxcroft with a Tradewinds Variety store.
The Blue Hill Tradewinds Marketplace will begin to operate under the Hannaford brand in May. It will become Hannaford’s 65th store in Maine and 186th in the Northeast, according to the Scarborough-based supermarket chain.
Tradewinds Marketplace has been supplied by Hannaford for years, and the company called the acquisition the “culmination” of a longstanding relationship with the retailer.
“A lot of the values we have, we got from Hannaford. As we considered retirement, it became evident that there was really only one successor that would maintain the same great service and provide the products our customers have enjoyed since we opened,” Chuck Lawrence said Wednesday. “We have been fortunate to have a great staff and many long term associates. We would like to thank our current and previous associates for being an important part of the Tradewinds family.”
Under the change in ownership, the Blue Hill store will continue to offer a similar line of products, given the existing supply deal with Hannaford.
“We’ve long been committed to bringing the Blue Hill community the high-quality, fresh products and exceptional service that are synonymous with Hannaford,” Hannaford Supermarkets Vice President of Retail Operations Todd Bullen said. “We look forward to further deepening our ties with the Blue Hill community as we officially welcome the store to the Hannaford banner.”
