Rumors have swirled for a while that a gigantic new discount supermarket is coming soon to the Rheem shopping center in Moraga, California.
Now, we have apparent confirmation of the exact chain (people are getting excited!), and a better sense of the timeframe, thanks to a subtle sign spotted by a hawk-eyed resident.
We’ll share the specifics in a minute, but first some background.
Rheem Valley, The Ideal Spot
The Rheem Valley Shopping Center is one of Moraga’s two main shopping areas. Many people visit for the excellent Starbucks with very classy indoor seating and one of Moraga’s only caffeine-friendly drive-throughs.
Personally, I often drive from Lafayette where I live to Moraga to visit the Starbucks when I have my 3 kids in the car!
Rheem Valley is also known for discount shopping. There’s a TJ Maxx and a Homegoods in the shopping center, as well as a Goodwill. And of course, there’s the historic Rheem Theatre, Moraga’s answer to the Orinda Theatre, and Lafayette’s Park Theatre.
Clearly, Rheem Valley shopping center already has a reputation as a great spot for discount shopping. That’s why it makes perfect sense to open a discount supermarket to complement the home stores.
The Giant New Supermarket
Moraga’s Planning Commission apparently felt the same way! Back in December 2023 they reportedly approved a plan to add a 17,404 square food discount market to Rheem Valley.
At the time, no one knew for sure which supermarket would come in, although there were rumors swirling even back then.
Now, thanks to a sign spotted in a nearby store, we know with much higher confidence which store is coming in!
Nextdoor user Kat H spotted a sign in the window of nearby Moraga Jewelers saying “Required to relocate due to Grocery Outlet taking over these spaces,” with a moving date of July 1, 2024.
So there you have it: the new store will be a Grocery Outlet! (I can already hear you humming “bargain market”).
And to further clinch it, we found an advertisement for nearby retail space that’s already talking about the impact that the future Grocery Outlet will have on the shopping center’s prospects.
The ad also gives more details about where exactly the Grocery Outlet will go. It appears the new store will be located between CVS and Dollar Tree.
Residents are already excited! Many mentioned how there used to be 5+ supermarkets in Moraga, and how they look forward to having at least one alternative to Safeway.
We’ll keep an eye on this story and update you as construction begins on the Moraga Grocery Outlet. Join our 925 News newsletter so we can keep you in the loop as soon as the store opens.
And please let the community know via Nextdoor or Facebook! People are already speculating about the rumored grocery store–you can help them learn the details!
We’re super excited to see more shopping opportunities coming to Moraga. Besides the Starbucks (and Canyon Club), it’s another reason to brave Moraga Road!
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As someone who works in the shopping center biz, I giggled at a 17k square foot grocery store being “gigantic”. That’s a little bit larger than a prototypical drugstore (14k). Grocery stores are usually 40k or larger.