BJ’s Breaks Ground in Brooklyn

NEW YORK — A new BJ’s Wholesale Club under construction here will provide a much-needed economic boost to a Brooklyn community recovering from the effects Hurricane Sandy, city officials said.

BJ’s, based in Westboro, Mass., broke ground for the new outlet in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn on Monday. The store is expected to provide 300 jobs in planning, construction and store personnel in the area, which was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, officials said.

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"BJ's has always valued the relationship with the communities around all of our clubs, and in the aftermath of Sandy we feel fortunate to be able to further extend our reach in Brooklyn to accelerate the recovery," Dan Smith, a regional manager for BJ’s, said in a statement. “We hope this project in Gravesend will show Brooklynites our commitment to not just the recovery, but to providing every day values to the community.”

The Gravesend store will be the third in Brooklyn for BJ’s, which operates 198 stores overall.