Grand opening: Brunssum community receives new commissary
Note: To see photos related to this release, go to DeCA’s Flickr site.
FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency’s newest commissary opened for business July 29 at the NATO Industrial Complex (NIC), Brunssum, in the Netherlands.
“Although we tempered our opening ceremony because of COVID-19, it didn’t dampen our enthusiasm to be able to provide – in such a fine facility – the commissary benefit to this most deserving community,” said Norman Brown, the DeCA Europe Area director.
The commissary’s sales area is actually a new building addition to a pre-existing warehouse. It was built and renovated according to DOD sustainability and energy-saving design requirements with the goal to make every shopping trip a pleasant experience. With the opening of the Brunssum store, the commissary at the nearby Schinnen Emma Mine site has closed.
With a sales floor spanning 16,254 feet, the Brunssum store features extensive produce, meat and grocery departments; a wide variety of frozen foods and fresh dairy products, an international delicatessen/bakery and, at the end of the shopping trip there are three regular and four self-checkouts. The former Schinnen commissary, located about 10 miles away in a facility built in 1976, had a sales area of 12,527 square feet.
Relocating the commissary from Schinnen to the NIC is part of an initiative to eliminate lease requirements. The construction project included the renovation of an existing warehouse facility, site work, parking areas, and new building additions, to accommodate the relocations of different tenant organizations, which included the commissary, exchange, MWR, Coast Guard and a bank.
“This is a small store because it serves a small community,” Brown said. “However, our commitment to provide the best commissary benefit possible is evident not only in the building, but in the service and dedication of our employees, industry partners and the local installation leaders who make this all possible.”
-DeCA-
PHOTO CAPTION: Col. James Yastrzemsky, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, addresses the audience gathered for the July 29 grand opening of the new Brunssum Commissary. The grand opening finalized the transformation of an old maintenance and repair shop to a modern shopping facility and was the final step in the garrison’s relocation from Schinnen to Brunssum. The Schinnen commissary closed its doors July 27 after 39 years in service. (U.S. Army photo by Naomi van Loon, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Public Affairs)
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.