Digby’s Market opened its first location on Thursday, April 20 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration. The 40,000-square-foot grocery store is on Snow Canyon Parkway in St. George (1955 Snow Canyon Parkway). The new store features a large assortment of local products from Utah, as well as the St. George area. A commitment to local products and outstanding customer service are noteworthy characteristics of Associated Food Stores’ newest local retailer.
“As a local company, it is important to us that we have the best items Utah offers. We call it “Better in Utah” because when we support local, it’s better for our local communities—but we also believe local products just happen to be better quality too,” said Tim Rigby, store owner.
In 2018, Tim, along with Gregory Daines, started working on their dream of bringing fresh, quality food to the community of St. George. Snow Canyon has always been in their hearts, and they were fortunate to find a location along Snow Canyon Parkway for their first store.
The Utah retailer offers dozens of local products, including offerings from SwitchPoint Coffee, Cheesecake Culture, Red Rock Pistachios, an ice cream parlor featuring Farr’s Ice Cream and so many more.
Not only does the new store tout local products, but it was also built using local Trestle wood from Pleasant View, Utah. “We want to go back to the roots of what grocery stores used to be. For us, that’s being authentically local while offering quality, simple fresh food with sincere service,” said Tim.
The new store is a one-stop shop for guests’ grocery needs, including an in-house smoker offering daily delicious smoked meats, a massive walk-in beer cooler and a 37-foot counter featuring an ice cream parlor, in-house gourmet popcorn, and local item features.
“We thank all who helped make this dream a reality—from our newest team members, construction crew, city officials and many others who rallied and welcomed the idea of having a local grocer on Snow Canyon Parkway. We appreciate all of you and could not do this without you,” said Tim.
“This store is the essence of One Associated,” said Jared Mitchell, director of construction and maintenance for Associated Food Stores. “As this store was being built, leadership at Bee’s Marketplace, an independent grocer located about an hour away, allowed new team members from Digby’s to train at their store. Lee’s Marketplace helped produce popcorn for Digby’s busy opening days due to a delay in necessary equipment. Most people don’t see many of the challenges behind the scenes, but the retail family and AFS team steps in and helps. It’s the true meaning of AFS.”
Team members from nearly every department at AFS contributed including market development, retail counselors, marketing and communications, sales specialists, information technology and many others.
“It’s a new retailer which is particularly rewarding as we have the opportunity to help them get off to a great start,” said Jared. “It’s remarkable to see it all come together.”
For more information about the store, visit digbysmarket.com.