Store recognized for stopping sale of tobacco

MANALAPAN - It's a breath of fresh air when a corporate entity puts people before profits, and so it was that Wegmans supermarket came to be honored by Manalapan officials during a recent meeting.

Wegmans officials recently announced that the store would stop selling tobacco products, and in recognition of that decisionManalapan officials honored the store with a proclamation.

Valerie Smith, who manages the Wegmans on Route 9, was on hand at the Township Committee's Feb. 13 meeting to accept the proclamation.

Manalapan health officer Dave Richardson and members of the health department attended the meeting in a show of respect for the supermarket chain's commitment to the health of the community.

Speaking with a reporter after the meeting Richardson said he was very pleased that Wegmans executives had taken steps to eliminate the sale of tobacco products. He said he was hoping their example might spur others to do the same.

"I'm hoping it's the start of a trend for the major supermarkets that don't have to rely on tobacco sales to make their profit," Richardson said. "I think I can speak for all of the interested agencies in Manalapan and I know we're all very satisfied that a large corporation like Wegmans took such a proactive step. It's a great thing for the kids in the community and the community in general. They did a great thing."

In accepting the township proclamation on behalf of Wegmans, Smith said the company's decision to eliminate the sale of tobacco products was not a hard decision to make because it was the right thing to do.

She said Wegmans officials have turned a former smoking room for employees into a resource room complete with computers. Smith said the company has sponsored stop-smoking clinics and programs that employees are encouraged and helped to join in their efforts to quit smoking.

"To be honored for doing the right thing really makes us proud. We are honored to receive this proclamation," Smith said.

The Wegmans supermarket at the Epicentre shopping center in Manalapan opened in 2001. Wegmans' first store in New Jersey opened in 1999 on Route 1 in West Windsor, Mercer County.

- Kathy Baratta