Millennium Partners, which is redeveloping a key piece of Downtown Crossing, said Monday that Roche Bros. has begun construction on a 25,000- square-foot supermarket that is scheduled to open early next year.
The supermarket will be at the Millennium Tower/Burnham Building, and it will occupy much of the space that once housed local retail legend Filene’s Basement. Headquartered in Wellesley, Roche Bros. operates roughly 20 stores.
Millennium had big news in April when the Irish clothing chain Primark announced it would open its first US store in the historic Burnham Building.
Primark will occupy most of the building’s first four floors when it opens in late 2015, sharing the ground level with Roche Bros., which will operate a specialty food shop and cafe, and a supermarket below. Havas Media and advertising firm Arnold Worldwide, which share a corporate parent, will occupy most of the eight-story building’s four top floors.
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In a statement, Millennium partner Richard G. Baumert said: “We are extremely pleased that Roche Bros., an independent family-owned business with deep roots in the community, will be playing such a prominent role in the rebirth of the historic Burnham Building. As the first large supermarket in Downtown Boston, Roche Bros. will further legitimize the evolution of Downtown Crossing as a vibrant urban neighborhood.”
Restoration of the Burnham Building is part of Millennium’s $689 million redevelopment plan for the site. Plans also call for the construction of Millennium Tower, a 625-foot new building made up of 442 luxury residences with retail space on the lower floors.
One high-profile local project that Millennium worked on earlier is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Towers.
Chris Reidy can be reached at reidy@globe.com.