AUBURN - Eckerd will open its new Grant Avenue store Thursday.

The 13,800-square-foot store has been under construction since late fall and will replace the Eckerd store in Auburn Plaza, said Tami Alderman, a spokeswoman for the Florida-based chain.

The new store will feature a drive-thru pharmacy, a one-hour photo counter and a food mart. The 15-20 employees at the Auburn Plaza store will be transferred to the new store, Alderman said.

For the past several weeks, employees have been busy stocking the new store. On Tuesday, several employees were inside, setting up the cosmetics department and filling shelves. Outside, employees of Westlake Development, the company that owns the property and built the store, were putting finishing touches on the parking lot.

The new store is free-standing, following a trend that many chain drug stores are finding is desirable to customers who look for the convenience of parking, as well as the drive-thru for prescriptions. The store in Auburn Plaza was part of a strip of shops and did not have a drive-thru.

A formal grand opening for the new store is planned for May 16.

Stores in the Eckerd chain, including the Auburn outlets, were sold on April 5. J.C. Penney, Eckerd's parent company, sold 1,539 Eckerds in 13 Mid-Atlantic and New England states to the Jean Coutu Group for a reported $2.4 billion. The Quebec, Canada-based company also purchased some support facilities.

The remaining Eckerd stores, primarily in Florida and Texas, will be purchased by the CVS chain. The selling price is reportedly $2 billion.

Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or louise.hoffman@lee.net