Headline: Zallie ShopRite at Cherrywood Plaza Names December Grand Opening — a Boost for Gloucester Township Shoppers and I‑295 Commuters
The Zallie ShopRite family has set a December 2025 grand opening for its new ShopRite of Cherrywood Plaza in the Blackwood‑Clementon area of Gloucester Township — a welcome bit of retail news for residents, commuters and nearby businesses along the I‑295/Route 42 corridor.
Why this matters to Gloucester Township and drivers who track news by I‑295 exit
Cherrywood Plaza sits in a busy retail pocket of Gloucester Township that many locals know from their daily routines: school runs, commuter trips to the highways, and quick errands between exits. For families and commuters who use the I‑295/Route 42 corridor, adding a full‑service ShopRite in the plaza means more options without going out of your way — groceries, deli and bakery items, and likely pharmacy and prepared foods under one roof. That convenience is especially meaningful for residents who prefer to shop close to home or swing by on the way back from work.
Zallie ShopRite — who they are and what they bring
The Zallie organization is a regional ShopRite franchisee operating multiple supermarkets across South Jersey. Their stores typically offer the full suite of ShopRite services: grocery departments, produce, bakery and deli counters, meat and seafood, pharmacy services (where licensed), and loyalty programs and pickup/delivery options many customers now expect. Across the region, Zallie‑operated ShopRites have been positioned as community‑focused neighborhood anchors, and the Cherrywood location looks to follow that model.
Location and infrastructure context
Cherrywood Plaza is in the Blackwood/Clementon neighborhood of Gloucester Township — an area that already draws shoppers from adjacent municipalities and from drivers coming off I‑295. Google Maps and local business listings show the plaza is easily reachable from the primary roads that serve Gloucester Township, which makes it convenient for people traveling to and from exits that feed the Township’s commercial strips.
From an infrastructure perspective, grocery‑anchored developments like this one tend to concentrate weekday and weekend traffic around shopping centers. That can be a boon for other small businesses in the plaza — restaurants, service providers and retail tenants typically see increased foot traffic — but it also puts pressure on local roadways and parking. Township planners and the developer likely accounted for circulation, loading zones and parking during permitting, but shoppers should expect the area to be busier once the store opens.
Economic and community impacts
A new full‑service grocery store creates a few clear, local impacts:
– Jobs: New supermarkets bring a range of full‑ and part‑time positions — from stocking and service roles to management and pharmacy staff. That’s a tangible hiring boost for local residents.
– Convenience and food access: For households in older Blackwood and Clementon neighborhoods, having a convenient, full‑service grocer nearby reduces travel time for essentials and can be especially helpful for seniors or families without easy access to multiple vehicles.
– Spillover for small businesses: A supermarket’s customers often patronize neighboring shops and restaurants, which can help small businesses in Cherrywood Plaza and along the retail strip.
– Traffic and planning: Increased activity may prompt minor traffic tweaks at nearby intersections, more demand for parking, and greater use of nearby bus routes.
Community sentiment and what shoppers are saying
Online review platforms like Yelp and local comments on Patch and NJ.com show that residents generally welcome supermarkets that invest in local hiring and quality produce and deli offerings. While reviews for individual Zallie ShopRite locations vary — as they do for any large grocer — many shoppers value competitive prices, store cleanliness and friendly staff. If Cherrywood’s ShopRite follows that pattern, it should quickly become a go‑to for Gloucester Township families.
What to watch for next
Zallie and the store’s social channels will likely publish the exact grand opening date and details (sales, ribbon‑cutting, hiring events) as December approaches. If you’re tracking how this affects your commute or local traffic patterns, keep an eye on Gloucester Township municipal updates and planning notices; these are the outlets that will share any temporary traffic changes or special parking rules around the plaza.
A note for readers along the I‑295 corridor
For commuters who use I‑295 and nearby exits serving Gloucester Township, this is an example of a small but meaningful local amenity that improves day‑to‑day life without requiring a detour into bigger commercial centers. Grocery anchors like this shape the retail landscape exit by exit — and for those of us following development by township and county, the Cherrywood ShopRite is one more sign of retail investment in this stretch of Gloucester County.
I’ll update this post with the exact grand opening date and any ribbon‑cutting or job‑fair details as they come in. If you live nearby or plan to visit the store when it opens, drop a note in the comments about what you’d like to see at the new ShopRite — more weekend staffing, a community pharmacy, or late‑night hours? We’ll keep an eye on how this one fits into life off I‑295.
