A new Shop 'n Save supermarket is set to open in the Olympia Shopping Center in Versailles on Saturday. The store will occupy a space vacated by Giant Eagle in the spring.

The owner of the new supermarket, Jeff Ross, who also owns a Shop 'n Save in Mt. Pleasant Township and the Foodland on Lysle Avenue in McKeesport, said the opening should fill a void for shoppers.

"They need a supermarket in this area," he said.

The site on Route 48 near Walnut Street is a good place for a Shop 'n Save, he said. The chain's next closest outlets are in Monroeville and West Mifflin. The area, in general, is underserved by supermarkets. Mr. Ross figures a lot of his future shoppers are traveling to White Oak or Elizabeth for groceries.

Mr. Ross said he thought the presence of a supermarket in the shopping center should help the facility remain economically vital. The center is home to Eckerd Drug, National City Bank, Save-A-Lot, General Nutrition Center, Fashion Bug, Hallmark, Family Dollar, Radio Shack, Payless Shoesource, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others.

Mr. Ross said local leaders were supportive, naming Versailles Councilwoman Pat Brown and state Rep. Marc Gergely, D-Whitehall, as particularly helpful.

Giant Eagle had exclusive rights to the property for an additional two years.

Mr. Gergely, whose local headquarters are in the shopping center, said he asked Giant Eagle officials to release the property so other businesses could use it, and the supermarket chain agreed to do so.

"It was a team effort," Mr. Gergely said. "We can't afford to lose businesses in the Mon Valley."

Though the market is set to open Saturday, a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony are to take place Aug. 19.

First Published: August 10, 2006, 4:00 a.m.