New store coming to West Side

  • Published
  • By Todd Bailey
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base --  Change is coming to Army and Air Force Exchange Services at Kirtland Air Force Base.

To start, there is a new name. Announced in September 2010, AAFES is undergoing a branding name change to 'Exchange' and the Shoppettes are now referred to as 'Express.' Exchanges will use an 'X' logo to help identify stores. Some bases, like Tinker AFB in Oklahoma and Fort Bliss in El Paso, have already undergone the change.

"The change is taking place throughout all of the Army and Air Force bases we serve," said Kirtland AFB Exchange general manager Michael Ryan. "The new logo will implement our red, white and blue colors and it is up to each installation to approve the new branding name."

At Kirtland AFB, the change is in the approval process and is expected to be featured on the installation's newest Express, currently under construction at the intersection of Truman Avenue and Randolph Avenue.
Mr. Ryan said the $3.6 million store will be more than twice the size of the current store located at Maxwell Street and Aberdeen Avenue.

"The current shop is 2,300 square feet," Mr. Ryan said. "The new shop will be around 4,900 square feet."

At more than twice the size, the Express will offer twice the services. The number of coolers and freezers used to hold food and drinks will more than double. There will be more gas pumps and the new store will have an ATM, video rental machines and a rug cleaning rental.

"This new shop's snack avenue will offer a full menu of breakfast and lunch items," Mr. Ryan said. "It will have three roller grills, a nachos machine, two microwaves and a milkshake machine. There will also be a "Be Fit" program, with expanded offerings of healthy foods like salads, sandwiches and baskets of fruit." Two services the Express will not have are a tire center, which the East Side store currently offers, and the laundry drop-off service at the current West Side store.

The project's funding comes from the Exchange morale, welfare and recreation program, in which the business provides funding for a variety of services at the military installations.

"The Exchange, as a whole, gives back two-thirds of its annual earnings to the Army and Air Force installations,"
Mr. Ryan said. "These dividends help operate the bowling alleys, day cares, outdoor recreation and golf courses, and also fund upgrades or construction of
our stores."

Mr. Ryan said Exchange is also committed to being an environmental-friendly organization. Construction of the Express is following a new rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council, called "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," or LEED.

The LEED rating system uses a checklist based on several factors during the construction process. It awards a facility with one of four ratings: certified, silver, gold or platinum.

Mr. Ryan said the goal for the Express is to receive a silver rating. Mr. Ryan said Exchange officials hope the new Express is open in time for the Kirtland AFB Open House
on Oct. 9.

"Usually these stores have a soft opening to work out any problems that may arise, but with the timing of everything being so close to completion, we don't know if that is going to happen," Mr. Ryan said. "We would really like to be open by that weekend, so we'll have to see."

Mr. Ryan said that once the new shop is built, the current staff would most likely double in size. As for the old building, it will be donated to Kirtland AFB.

"That is normally how things work with our organization," Mr. Ryan said. "Our old buildings are given back to the installation for them to use. It all goes back to our slogan, 'You save, we give back.' This is our way to give back."