New supermarket, stores filling holes at revitalized Bellcrest Plaza in Toms River

TOMS RIVER - A supermarket is coming back to Bellcrest Plaza, now under new ownership, part of a plan to reenergize the Fischer Boulevard shopping center and fill vacant spaces with new stores.

Grocery Outlet has signed a lease for a 17,000-square-foot storefront, said Aaron Kotler, chairman of Horizon Equities, a real estate firm with offices in Lakewood; Tampa, Florida; and Norfolk, Virginia.

Supreme Courts, a pickleball operator, also recently signed a lease for 15,000 square feet, Kotler said.

They are filling the space at Bellcrest formerly occupied by Super Foodtown, which closed in 2010, Kotler said. Valhallan Esports Training also has signed a lease for a 1,800-square-foot store.

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The new tenants enhance and secure the shopping center's longevity, said Shane Wierks, a commercial real estate broker with Springfield-based Jeffery Realty, who represented Bellcrest in the lease transactions. "It's a shopping center that caters to all the neighborhood's essentials."

Horizon Equities purchased Bellcrest Plaza in 2023, part of what was called the Ocean County Middle Market Portfolio, a total of 310,023 square feet of retail and office space in Toms River, Brick and Berkeley.

"We chose to invest heavily in the plaza," Kotler told What's Going There. The center is undergoing a "major refresh" such as new lighting; signage, including a new pylon sign; improvements to the building; and a repaved parking lot.

"It needed it," Kotler said. "It was tired and we don't want it tired."

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The major tenants at Bellcrest Plaza include Dollar Tree, Planet Fitness, RWJ Barnabas Health and Jag One Physical Therapy. it has six restaurants including Tardi’s Ristorante Italiano, Joe’s Bagels and a newly renovated Dairy Queen.

Kotler said his family has lived in Ocean County for more than 80 years. "It's an incredible place to live," he said. "It is very, very familiar territory to us," he said. "It's vibrant and it's alive."

When Horizon Equities purchased the 105,000-square-foot Bellcrest Plaza, 43,000 square feet of it was vacant, Kotler said. "We said that's crazy. There's no reason it should be 41% vacant," he said. "Let's restore some of the energy."

Attracting a discount grocer, a pickleball operator and an e-sports business helps, Kotler said, crediting Wierks' efforts. "It's working."

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Now the vacancy rate is down to 11%, with a 6,000-square-foot spot available along with a handful of smaller suites, he added.

"Leasing interest is very high, with particular interest from various parties in the 6,000-square-foot suite," Kotler said. "Toms River is a great town in which to do business, with an exceptionally well-run township and loyal local population," he said.

Bellcrest Plaza hasn't had a supermarket since the closure of Super Foodtown, a presence at the shopping center for decades.

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Grocery Outlet, an extreme discounter, has more than 400 stores across the country, including a store on Route 35 in Hazlet. It adds another grocery option for the area with ShopRite of Fischer Bay nearby.

Grocery Outlet sells name brand and private label items at deep discounts by buying discontinued or excess inventory. Product manufacturers might have changed packaging, made too much of a product, changed its formula or discontinued a particular variety.

It also sells grocery basics, including milk, eggs, produce and meat, which are bought from conventional suppliers and priced at or below other stores in town, the company said on its website.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Grocery Outlet, other stores come to Bellcrest Plaza in Toms River