Shaw's
Opened: May 22, 2026
Welcome to the newest Shaw's (and more importantly, happy 4th of July and 250th anniversary of the United States)! What better way to celebrate the birth of our country than to tour a supermarket -- although honestly that's probably how I'd celebrate any occcasion. This 52,000 square foot supermarket was built around the late 1990s as a Victory Market, part of a local chain here in central Mass and southern New Hampshire, and Hannaford acquired the whole chain in 2004. Apparently, the landlord didn't renew Hannaford's lease when it was up, and Shaw's moved in after extensive renovation.
This is the first new Shaw's in nearly a decade. The second most recent one opened in Hudson, MA -- about three miles north -- in 2017, also a former Hannaford. Meanwhile, sister chain Star Market opened a new-build location in Boston in 2019, and is working on another in Scituate on the south shore. The overall openings within Shaw's and Star Market haven't kept pace with the chains' many closures over the years, let alone given them a net increase of stores. (Shaw's/Star haven't been closing many stores too recently, or at least not at a significantly different rate than other Albertsons chains.)
So speaking of other Albertsons chains, you'll notice something intriguing right away when you enter this new store: This isn't Shaw's decor, but Safeway decor (it's been referred to as the "modern" or "Florida" decor package and has been in use for around a decade). Although it's rather plain, it looks good here. While the Hannaford was quite nice, it was definitely time for a cosmetic upgrade. Shaw's has essentially gutted the place, rebuilding a brand-new store with all new fixtures, but the layout is more or less the same. Produce and floral are up at the front in the left side corner, with deli and prepared foods behind that in the back-left corner. Meat and seafood are on the back wall, with frozen and dairy on the right side and bakery in the front-right corner. Hannaford had a pharmacy, Shaw's does not.
The store was sharp and well-presented even a couple weeks after the grand opening, but not very exciting. Decor-wise, it's fairly basic and on the boring side, and in terms of offerings, I didn't see anything significantly different from any other Shaw's stores. I am a bit surprised at that, because it feels like taking an existing supermarket over while removing a service (the pharmacy) and mostly not changing anything else doesn't strike me as a recipe for success. I visited at an off-time -- a Monday evening -- but it was just as quiet as the Hannaford if not more so.
Still, it's a notable difference from the Hudson Shaw's, which basically got a fresh coat of paint after taking over the Hannaford and called it a day. This is really a new supermarket, so it's nice to see some serious investment here. On the other hand, Hannaford is so on top of remodels that if they'd remained here, they also would've updated this store.
Hannaford had separate seafood and meat counters, but had cut them back. Shaw's has combined the two on the back wall. For a comparison, check out this photo. See the seam in the wall between "Seafood &" and "Meat" above? You can see the same little corner in the Hannaford photo.
Shaw's (and the other Albertsons brands around here) have dramatically improved their international foods departments lately, and this store has an expanded selection of Latin and Caribbean foods to match the community here in Marlborough. The other store in town, a Market 32, doesn't really have much of an international selection. And while Shaw's is likely more expensive than Hannaford, both are significantly cheaper than Market 32.
To me, there's also a widening quality gap between the mainstream, big-chain stores like Shaw's and Stop & Shop and some of the local/regional operators, like Big Y. This Shaw's is nice, but it's nothing like the setup of a new Big Y.
I was hoping this store, the first new Shaw's in almost 10 years, would be a sign of an exciting new direction for the chain. Instead, it's kind of more of the same, and not even all that different from the Hannaford that preceded it. It's still a well-executed supermarket, though, and it shows Shaw's and Star Market -- long the stragglers in the Albertsons Companies portfolio -- have some renewed vitality. I'm very interested to see what the new Star Market in Scituate will be like.
In the meantime, here's a look at this weekend's other posts, and enjoy the holiday!
Opened: May 22, 2026
Owner: Albertsons Companies
Previous Tenants: Victory Markets (late 1990s-2004) > Hannaford (2004-2025)
Cooperative: none
Location: 193 Boston Post Rd W, Marlborough, MA
Photographed: June 29, 2026
Saturday
- Shaw's opens a former Hannaford unit in central Massachusetts
- New independent grocers open near Oxford Circle and Frankford in Philadelphia
Sunday
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