Trader Joe's opens in Saugus tomorrow
Trader Joe's, the trendy grocery chain, opens tomorrow at the new Shops at Saugus strip mall on Route 1 north in Saugus. A traditional Hawaiian lei-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and the grocery store will open to shoppers at 9 a.m. The 11,000-square-foot store is the first anchor tenant to open at the retail center built on the former site of Caruso Diplomat.
"Things are taking shape," said Andrew Couch, vice president of investment at Regency Centers, the Florida-based development company. "With the way the economy is now, we're happy with the way things have come along."
Regency is a copartner in the $35 million project along with J. Donegan Co., a Virginia development company led by Jay Donegan, a Lynnfield native.
The 110,000-square-foot shopping center is the largest retail development built on Route 1 in Saugus since the Square One Mall opened 14 years ago. The center will bring a mix of retailers and restaurants, some of which are relocating from the other side of Route 1.
La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery is relocating from Route 1 south. Border Cafe also plans to switch lanes, moving to the center from its longtime spot on the southbound lane. "They're on their own timeline," Couch said of the restaurant chain. "My guess is they will build within the next 12 months."
PetSmart, another anchor tenant, is due to open in the fall. Lakeshore Learning, an educational products retailer, plans to open a 7,352-square-foot store. Smaller tenants signed for the strip mall include Liberty Travel and Supercuts, a hair salon. Starbucks and Qdoba Mexican Grill share a separate building.
Regency also is negotiating leases with a number of smaller tenants, including a home furnishings retailer and a specialty sporting goods shop. A nail salon and medical office also could end up in the mix, Couch said.
"Leasing has been very strong," he said. "We expect that to continue."
Brent R. Orrell, a deputy assistant secretary at the labor department, said the grant aims to "help [workers] to return to work as quickly as possible."
Alcatel-Lucent, based in France, plans to close the plant at the end of this year and ship production to a lower-cost plant in Italy. Some management positions were transferred to another Alcatel-Lucent facility in Westford.
Most workers already have been laid off from the plant, once the largest employer in the Merrimack Valley. Many are working with career counselors to identify new job skills. The Communication Workers of America Local 1365 had the plant certified for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance, which provides extra training dollars and benefits to workers who lose their job because of foreign competition.
The new training dollars - officially called a National Emergency Grant - will provide workers with additional skills assessment, counseling, case management, and job search skills.
The state Department of Workforce Development will administer the grant, officials said.
Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com. 
