SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The Big Y on St. James Avenue will be reopening its doors this Halloween! Springfield residents drop off nearly 500 pounds of unwanted medications in one day According to Big Y, this grand reopening comes after months of renovations in many areas of the store, adding new additions in response to changing customer preferences. The renovations began back in April and just finished last week. The new remolded store will feature upgraded décor, flooring, finishes throughout the building, exterior changes, and a modified Customer Service Center. Other upgrades include the following: Expanded Fresh Foods Variety: A new service butcher shop with freshly cut meatofferings along with their famous Fish & Chips. The talented employees are ready tofulfill customer’s everyday and entertainment needs. Updated Deli/Kitchen Offerings: Hand-tossed pizza by the slice, stromboli’s or callahead to order large and party pizzas. The department was re-located providing bothlunch and dinner needs together along with Big Y Quick, Easy Meals. They now havethe convenience of DoorDash and Instacart to provide an even more flexible shoppingexperience. Center Store: An expanded Hispanic Grocery section featuring traditional ingredientsand pantry staples from across Latin America including Brazil and the Caribbean.Sustainability Initiatives: New high-efficiency LED lighting, refrigerated cases andequipment was installed throughout the store. The doors will open at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday. “This remodel’s focus was to improve the overall shopping experience, while delivering the quality and variety our customers have come to expect,” said Michael Matyszewski, store director at the St. James location. “With the enhanced look and feel to every aspect of the store, employees have great pride in being able to share this new family market with our community here in Springfield.” “As we continue to grow, it is important for us to keep up with the ever-changing groceryindustry. We not only want to offer the best quality products and services to ourcustomers but also give our employees the tools and training they need to besuccessful. When they succeed, we all win. This new store format and design will allowus to do that," said Rick Bossie, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Big Y. Local News Headlines One person dead after two-vehicle crash in Agawam ‘Dine to Donate’ event to support Soldier On veterans programs Springfield judge sentences Chicago-area man for using dark web to fund rapper’s lifestyle Dennis Police thank community for support after officer’s wife, daughter die in fire WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.