After five years of trying, Wegmans Food Markets has signed an agreement that will pave the way for a major expansion of the East Avenue store.

Wegmans CEO Danny Wegman confirmed the purchase of Fountain Bleu on East Avenue. The sale comes seven months after Wegmans announced it had given up trying to persuade the salon's owner to sell.

It was the last property in the area Wegmans was trying to acquire to make room for its expansion.

Wegmans unveiled the first design plan in January of what the new East Avenue store would look like. The proposed expansion would double this size of the existing East Avenue Wegmans.

The company now says it will go back to the drawing board and submit an alternate design plan in April to account for the space currently occupied by Fountain Bleu.

Wegman would not release any details of the agreement, but said he is pleased.

"I'm very happy. I think it's been good for him. I hope it's been good for him and I think it will be good for us and I think it will move the project along," Wegman said.

When asked why he thought Fountain Bleu's owner finally decided to sell, Wegman said, "I just think he decided it was time to do it."

The salon's owner declined to comment on the deal.

Wegmans