Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Mahmod | (210226-N-OC333-071) VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Feb. 26, 2021) The Navy Exchange Provisions...... read more read more
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. –
Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 26 for the grand opening of the Provisions Market at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Main Navy Exchange (NEX).
The first-of-its-kind store offers on-the-go food and beverage options for busy patrons, and NEXCOM decided there was no better place to test the waters than the Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base.
Rear Adm. (ret.) Robert J. Bianchi, NEXCOM chief executive officer, and Capt. John Hewitt, NAS Oceana commanding officer, spoke at the event and cut the ribbon, signifying the beginning of a new offering for NEX patrons.
“This is going to be the prototype, and we’re hoping it will be successful,” said Bianchi. “The idea would then be to replicate it across the system. It’s very similar to our ‘Micro Market’ concept, which we piloted a few years ago and we’re now up to 48 Micro Markets around the world.”
The newest NEX food concept is part of an effort to meet the new demands of a changing food and restaurant landscape.
“The NEX Provisions Market is part of a broader ‘Food Hall’ concept that NEXCOM is developing in response to evolving trends within the food industry,” said Greg Thomas, Senior Vice President, Store Operations for NEXCOM. “In addition, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are very much looking for food that they can grab and go versus eating in a food court. With the opening of the NEX Provisions Market, our customers are now able to grab their favorite foods on the run or come in and relax as part of their overall shopping experience.”
Bianchi added that NAS Oceana was nearly the perfect place to test the Provisions Market concept, being located close to NEXCOM headquarters, having a very broad demographic of service members, and having strong leadership within the base.
“On every base, it’s all about our partnership with the base leadership and the partnership here is probably one of the strongest,” said Bianchi. “I’ve visited just about every base, and I can tell you that Oceana teaming up with NEX is always wonderful. We look forward to some of the other innovations we could do as time goes on.”
On April 1, 2021, NEXCOM will celebrate its 75th anniversary, and Bianchi said he’s excited to see what the future holds.
“We’ve been around for 75 years and we’ve evolved over our 75 years,” said Bianchi. “I think this is an example of how we continue to innovate, how we continue to transform, and how we don’t stand still. People’s needs change and we are there wherever our military members go.”
In addition NAS Oceana’s commanding officer thanked NEXCOM for their effort to support those who call NAS Oceana their home.
“There are a lot of stores that you can go to outside of Oceana’s main gate,” said Hewitt, “but a lot of Sailors and Marines choose to go here for a reason, and it’s because the NEX is meeting their needs.”
Currently, NEXCOM expects to open additional NEX Provisions Markets in 2021.
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2021 10:16 |
| Story ID: | 390307 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 381 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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