Byrne Dairy Plans to Open 7,000-Square-Foot Store

LAFAYETTE, N.Y. -- Byrne Dairy Inc. has big ideas for its next new-build store. The locally based retailer revealed it will build a 7,030-square-foot grocery/convenience store -- its largest store yet -- in central New York.

According to a report by Syracuse.com, the project is just awaiting the necessary permits. Once approved, construction will begin along Route 20 in LaFayette, which is located approximately 10 miles south of Syracuse, N.Y.  The store will share a driveway with a McDonald's and a second entrance onto Route 20 is awaiting approval from state Department of Transportation officials.

"There is no grocery store in LaFayette and while this won't replace a grocery store, it will carry a lot more grocery items than our average convenience store," Mark Byrne, president and CEO of Sonbryne Sales Inc., the retail division of Byrne Dairy, told the news outlet. "That means breads, cereals, canned goods, a deli, Byrne products, freezer items and more."

The 24-hour location will also have a gas station with 10 pumps -- eight for gasoline and two for diesel fuel. The store is expected to employ 12 to 15 people.

"The town really wants it and a lot of people are excited about it,'' Byrne said. "People who live in LaFayette have to drive a long way for groceries, and that's why we are making this our largest store ever."

As CSNews Online recently reported, Byrne Dairy debuted a new and smaller-model convenience store in Whitesboro, N.Y., in the fall of 2012, and plans to open more stores with this same design in the near-term.

The retailer currently operates more than 50 convenience stores across central New York State, from Rochester to Utica. The chain is known as a dairy and foodservice destination. Its Byrnsie's deli features "mighty fine foods" such as subs and sandwiches, and its deli slogan, "Fast, fresh and udderly delicious," ties into its dairy roots.