By Tim Cherry
Chief of Media Relations
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Frequent customers of the Fort Belvoir’s post exchange may have noticed heavy construction taking place next to the building’s west side.
In two years, this area will be home to a new and improved facility.
“We’re trying to take care of the community, which is growing,” said Rick Talbot, general manager of the installation’s post exchange.
Walbridge construction company began working in May.
The facility, which is on track to be completed in spring 2013, will include a 270,000 square foot shopping center and a 161,000 square foot retail store.
Talbot estimated this will make it about 1.5 times bigger than the current facility.
“It’s going be more wide open,” Talbot said. “It’s going to be a more pleasant shopping experience.”
The additional space will increase the food options from six vendors to nine. Out of the current vendors, Cinnabon is the only not returning. It’s being replaced with a Starbucks.
The new facility will also have more new concessionaires, but Talbot couldn’t comment on them because the contracts for these stores haven’t been signed.
The facility’s size will also allow for it to be the new home for the home and garden and military clothing sale stores currently located on 13th Street.
“We’re trying to make it a one-stop shopping place,” Talbot said.
Talbot said that building a new facility was out of necessity, explaining the growing population on the installation has made the current building very tight, in terms of space.
“We ran out of room,” Talbot said.
The new facility will have an additional 100 to 200 parking slots to accommodate the increased population, Talbot said.
The facility will also feature the new Exchange logo. About a year ago, the company, which was called Army and Air Force Exchange Services, or AAFES, announced it was changing its name to the Exchange, as part of its new branding initiative. The current building still has the AAFES logo up and Talbot said scheduling will determine if it’s changed within the next two years.
The current post exchange, which was built in 1994, will be torn down after the completion and opening of the new building.
Once the old facility is torn down, it will then become the construction site for a new commissary.
