Amazon is building a second grocery store concept in Orange County, this time in a former Toys R Us in Fullerton.
Matt Foulkes, the city’s director of Community and Economic Development, confirmed the e-commerce titan bought the store at 1100 South Harbor Blvd. in the Fullerton Town Center. The new grocery store will be a short walk from Costco.
“The floorplan for the grocery story looks remarkably similar to a Whole Foods in terms of layout and food offerings,” Foulkes wrote the Register in an email. “This location will be a great project and a nice additional grocery option for south Fullerton.”
Amazon has been developing several grocery store concepts in Southern California. It has three under development in Los Angeles County and another near completion in Irvine in a former Babies R Us at the Market Place shopping center on Jamboree Road.
Amazon is developing a new grocery story at the Market Place in Irvine. The location was a former Babies R Us. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Amazon is building a grocery store in a former Toys R Us store in Fullerton Town Center. Few details have been released but this photo shows the prepared food section in a similar store by Amazon under development in Woodland Hills. Source: Bloomberg
Boys & Girls Clubs in Orange County will host an online fundraiser called “Greatness Amplified” on Wednesday, Aug. 26. The 24-hour event will be hosted by the Orange County Community Foundation. Money raised will support the clubs’ full-day programming with academic assistance for remote learning, along with enrichment activities both on-site and online. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Amy Hytowitz, senior director of global communications for Edwards Lifesciences, has been appointed to the board of directors of Irvine-based Human Options, a nonprofit working to ending the cycle of relationship violence. (Courtesy of KLK Photography)
Yashar Hooshvar has launched Kitchen Tune-Up, a franchise kitchen remodeling company, in Mission Viejo. (Courtesy of Yashar Hooshvar)
Mindy Abel is the new deputy director of the Anaheim Convention Center. She will oversee sales and services as well as lead all front of house, client-facing departments and partners at the convention center, one of the top meeting venues in the U.S. Abel has been a senior leader at Visit Anaheim for 26 years. (Courtesy of Visit Anaheim)
Denise Bader is the new senior vice president of sales, Americas, at Irvine-based Ephesoft, a content acquisition and data solutions company. She will be responsible for sales, sales engineering, sales operations and customer success in the region. (Courtesy of Ephesoft and Tashia Peterman)
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The online retailer has not been very forthcoming about its grocery concepts. Bloomberg News got inside the store in Woodland Hills, describing it as pretty typical with numbered aisles for staples such as rice, beans, pasta and canned vegetables.
In the back of the 33,000-square-foot space, which is about average size for a supermarket, sits a meat and seafood counter.There’s also an area called “Fresh Kitchen” for prepared foods and soups.
There’s no timeline on the opening of the Fullerton grocery store. The Irvine store also has yet to open.
Grant money for kids
Two Southern California nonprofits have been awarded $6,300 in grants from the Sundt Foundation.
No Limits for Deaf Children, which received $3,150, provides language and literacy therapy, academic instruction and activities to promote social-emotional development among deaf children.
Youth Employment Service of the Harbor Area received $3,150 to provide job-related education and support services for low-income youth in Orange County.
Fundraiser is Wednesday
Boys & Girls Clubs in Orange County will host an online fundraiser called “Greatness Amplified” on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The 24-hour event will be hosted by the Orange County Community Foundation.
Money raised will support the clubs’ full-day programming with academic assistance for remote learning, along with enrichment activities both on-site and online. The money also will help maintain support services including telehealth and wellness checks, Grab-n-go STEM activities, access to licensed therapists, food distribution, family resources, literacy and reading programs, and more.
To contribute, go to greatness-amplified-giving-day.ocnonprofitcentral.org. For information on specific club programs, services and community offerings, go to bgcresources.org.
Dementia session
UCI MIND and Alzheimer’s Orange County will host a free virtual conference “Tackling Dementia with Technology” from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 10.
AlzOC and UCI’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders are partnering for the 31st Annual SoCal Alzheimer’s Disease Research Conference and the first-ever virtual event.
Dr. Joshua Grill, director of UCI MIND, will moderate the virtual conference, which is free and open to the public. Other speakers include Jim McAleer, CEO of AlzOC, Drs. Craig Stark, Ruth Benca, and Edwin Monuki from UCI, Dr. Dorene Rentz from Harvard University, and Dr. Alex Mihailidis from the University of Toronto, Canada.
To view more about the event’s speakers and full agenda, visit conference.mind.uci.edu/about/#speakers
Register for the conference at conference.mind.uci.edu. For more information, email conference@mind.uci.edu
State appointments
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Santa Ana resident Michele Martinez, 40, to the California Transportation Commission and Orange resident Anthony C. Williams, 52, to the California High-Speed Rail Authority board of directors.
Martinez is founder and consultant at Emergent P4 Advisors. She has served as a part-time adjunct professor at Santiago Canyon College since 2016. The commission position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Martinez is a Democrat.
Williams has served as a legislative affairs secretary in the Newsom’s office since 2019. He was director of national strategy and engagement at the Boeing Co. and was policy director and special counsel in the California State Senate. His board position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Williams is a Democrat.
On the move
Denise Bader is the new senior vice president of sales, Americas, at Irvine-based Ephesoft, a content acquisition and data solutions company. She will be responsible for sales, sales engineering, sales operations and customer success in the region.
Mindy Abel is the new deputy director of the Anaheim Convention Center. She will oversee sales and services as well as lead all front of house, client-facing departments and partners at the convention center, one of the top meeting venues in the U.S. Abel has been a senior leader at Visit Anaheim for 26 years.
On board
Amy Hytowitz, senior director of global communications for Edwards Lifesciences, has been appointed to the board of directors of Irvine-based Human Options, a nonprofit working to ending the cycle of relationship violence.
New ventures
Yashar Hooshvar has launched Kitchen Tune-Up, a national kitchen remodeling company, in Mission Viejo. Services for residential and commercial customers include the company’s Tune-Up, a proprietary wood reconditioning process, as well as cabinet redooring, painting, refacing and custom cabinets. For more information, go to kitchentuneup.com/missionlaguna-oc-ca/about or call 949-396-0886.
Status Update is compiled from press releases by contributing writer Karen Levin and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos tosgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
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