Whole Foods Market is aiming to expand into dense urban areas with minimart-style stores, which are much smaller than full-size supermarkets, and the Big Apple has become a key testing ground.
The Amazon-owned luxury grocery chain recently named its first Dairy Shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It's one of five stores in the Big Apple where people on the go can stop by and pick up a few items.
a A company spokesperson told the Post. The Daily Shop is a “convenient option for grabbing grab-and-go meals and snacks, weekly essentials, and ingredients to complete your meals quickly and easily, with every product meeting the company's rigorous quality standards.” “We are satisfied.”
Whole Foods officials told the Wall Street Journal that the Manhattan store, with 9,100 square feet of space, about a quarter of the chain's size, has exceeded expectations since its grand opening in September. It is said to be recording sales.
The company hopes to replicate the success of its small-format store in Washington, D.C., where the Daily Shop is scheduled to open in the middle of next year. A Whole Foods spokesperson told the Journal.
“The idea is to have a store one block away where you can pick up produce. [was appealing]'' Arthur Glauberman, 72, who lives less than a block away from the conveniences of the Upper East Side, told the paper.
“I'm glad it opened.”
Whole Foods, which has 500 stores nationwide, joins other retailers such as Walmart, Sprouts Farmers Market and Publix that have opened “neighborhood markets” in some towns.
Walmart, which operates more than 150 such stores nationwide, recently announced that it will open two expansion stores that are 17,000 square feet larger than the original MiniMart. One store is located in the Dune Lakes area of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and the other is located in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood.
The company opened its first three Neighborhood Market stores in 1998 in its home state of Arkansas.
In March, Trader Joe's opened a smaller 2,800-square-foot Trader Joe's Pronto store in Manhattan's Union Square neighborhood.
Publix, a supermarket chain with 1,440 stores primarily in the Southeastern United States, has opened seven GreenWise Market stores in Florida and plans to expand.
The 25,000 square foot small grocery store focuses on organic and specialty foods.
Companies are seeking to take advantage of changing consumer preferences, with an increasing number of consumers relying on fill-in shopping.
According to Placer.ai, Big box stores like Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers MarketBloomingdale's and BJ's Wholesale Club are expanding into urban areas by opening smaller stores where foot traffic is increasing.
