MEREDITH — A town that has been served by one pharmacy will soon have two. And for a time there may be two temporary pharmacies in Meredith.

Rite-Aid, which is located in the Meredith Bay Plaza, needs to relocate because the company's lease expires in January and Hannaford is expanding into Rite-Aid's present 8,192 square feet of store space to build a pharmacy.

Hannaford spokesman Eric Blom said Hannaford plans to have a temporary Hannaford pharmacy open soon in the space that Rite-Aid now occupies.

Though the company has not officially announced it yet, Hannaford is planning to expand its current 32,000-square-foot supermarket into the approximately 8,000 square feet of vacant store space between its store and its temporary pharmacy, which will become a permanent pharmacy later in 2013, Blom said.

“We hope to have the temporary pharmacy open by Jan. 1,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rite-Aid is in the process of getting permits to build a new 15,000-square-foot store on a lot between the Irving/Circle-K Plaza and the Trinity Episcopal Church, less than a quarter-mile from its present location, according to Ken Linesman, owner of Newland Development of Hampton, which represents Rite-Aid's interests in Meredith. The store is purchasing the property, he said.

The town has been notified that Rite-Aid is looking for a temporary location, possibly in a vacant building adjacent to Meredith Ford near the center of town, while it builds its new store, according to Angela LeBreque, the town planner.

Through the plaza's owner, Meredith Crosspoint Shopping Center Holdings LLC, Hannaford received its building permit for the temporary pharmacy on Sept. 28.

The store received permission to expand into the Rite-Aid space and the space between the two stores in March.

dseufert@newstote.com