WESTPORT — It’s official.

The highly anticipated Big Y supermarket will host its “grand opening” Nov. 7 at the Post Plaza shopping center, after shopping gets underway with the store’s Oct. 24 “soft” opening.

The New England-based grocery chain in January announced it would open a store at the 1076 Post Road East shopping complex, taking over a site where plans for an Amazon Fresh supermarket were in limbo for 18 months. Prior to that, the space had been the location of a Barnes & Noble bookstore, which closed at the end of 2020 and moved downtown.

A Big Y spokeswoman Tuesday confirmed both the “grand” and “soft” opening dates, which became known as the business began locally circulating flyers about the new store.

The Westport store, now listed on Big Y’s corporate website, will operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Sundays. Phone is 203-349-4138.

Big Y officials said they planned to hire more than 100 employees to staff the new store.

The business also supports community causes in places where its stores are located, including scholarships, food drives and breast cancer charities.

Besides traditional grocery departments, such as meat, seafood, produce, dairy, canned and packaged foods, health and wellness products and household goods, the store will feature a range of specialty foods and services in Westport.

These include freshly made hot meals, pizza, subs, fish and chips, steamed seafood, sushi, specialty baked goods, custom platters and even knife-sharpening, according to the store’s website.

Big Y Foods Inc. is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, according to the company’s statement. In addition to Big Y supermarkets, it operates Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors and Big Y Express gas and convenience locations, with more than 10,000 employees.