WinCo Foods says its new Bellingham store will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15.

The approximately 90,000-square-foot location, which is located at 300 E. Bellis Fair Parkway, employs 171 people, 161 of whom are newly hired from the surrounding area, according to WinCo.

The Bellingham store is managed by Becky McDonald, who transferred from a WinCo store in Bremerton. McDonald has been with WinCo for one year, according to the company.

WinCo’s Bellingham location is the company’s first to feature updated interior colors and decor. The store features a large produce department, along with bulk foods, meat, deli, seafood and bakery sections.

WinCo Foods, an employee-owned company founded in 1967 in Boise, Idaho, currently operates 88 stores and four distribution centers across the western U.S. The discount supermarket company employs nearly 15,000 people.

The company recently announced plans to expand into Texas in early 2014, with an initial two stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.