Food Lion will open its seventh store in Suffolk this fall.

The grand opening of the 33,000-square-foot store, which is still under construction at 1010 Portsmouth Blvd., is set for Wednesday, Oct. 23, said Jeff Lowrance, a corporate spokesman.

&uot;We are real excited about Suffolk as well as the rest of Hampton Roads,&uot; Lowrance said. &uot;That region has been a good location for us and we enjoy doing business there.&uot;

Like most of the company’s grocery stores, the store will have a deli and bakery.

The store is in the process of hiring about 20 full-time employees, Lowrance said. An additional 40 -50 seasonal part-time employees will also be on the payroll.

People can stop by any Food Lion to get an application.

The company is not closing any of its other grocery stores in the city, he said.

Lowrance would not say how much the company was spending on the project.