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Family Markets. “People want an inter- esting experience when they come to the store. They want to see something they’ve never seen.”
That demand has DeCicco’s embrac- ing ideas like juice bars, which the chain rolled out at its Armonk store and at its newest location in Larchmont, which opened in December. That’s in addi- tion to a craft beer bar, where shoppers can enjoy brews made in collaborations with local brewers, an idea that has been a hit in the chain’s Armonk store. The trend also has shoppers like Tuck- ahoe resident John Goodman raving about the new space at Port Chester’s Tarry Market, where customers can grab a bite. “Their roast beef on a roll is so good, it makes you cry.” The mar- ket is owned by celebrity restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, who are also behind Manhattan’s Babbo, Del Posto, and Casa Mono restaurants.
The Shopping “Experience”
Bigger chains are also working to make shopping more entertaining. Shampanier, for instance, loves the cheese selection at Fairway Market in Pelham Manor. “The Fairway cheese counter is exciting, elaborate; there’s theater to it,” she raves. Fairway isn’t alone in catering to foodies’ growing passion for cheese. Stew Leonard’s recently announced its expanded Cheese Shoppes, with additional global specialty offerings.
And chains like Whole Foods, which can afford specialized expertise on staff, are turning it into a selling point. “We’re still offering real trained butchers, fishmongers, cheesemon- gers,” says Michael Sinatra, a Whole Foods spokesperson. “Our prepared food departments have real chefs in our kitchens. There’s a different level of product knowledge.” Whole Foods is also bringing in outside guests to pull healthy eaters into its markets. In December, for instance, the Yonkers store hosted a talk by holistic health author Jeanne Ricks on “Winning holiday eating strategies.” Luring cus- tomers to stores with special events is also a trend embraced at Tarry Market, which is planning an upcoming olive oil tasting with Nicholas Coleman, an olive oil specialist from the gourmet- market chain Eataly.
At the same time, stores such as Whole Foods have responded to a push for lower prices. In 2016, the chain plans to begin rolling out its 365 by Whole Foods Market stores
on the West Coast, says Sinatra. The company’s website claims they will bring “fresh, healthy, and affordable food to more people in more places, every day.”
All of this ante upping has pushed less glamorous stores into extinction. “A&P, it’s like a dinosaur,” explains Cohen. “Markets change; people want better quality at reasonable prices.” Even stores such as ShopRite, which customers lauded for its deals in the 2015 Market Force survey, are seeing declining popularity. The New Jersey- based chain sank to the eighth-most- popular store in America, down from second in 2012.
To gain an edge, many local stores, both large and small, are tailoring their offerings to their zip codes. “Our main strategy is to customize the offerings, where possible, to the local neighborhoods—and promoting our natural and organic lines,” says Stop & Shop’s Keenoy.
This has not gone unnoticed by shoppers like Sharene Jones, a food coach in Pelham who offers her clients guidance on healthy eating. She was impressed on a recent visit to Stop & Shop in Mount Vernon by the many options from the Caribbean Islands and alternative types of flour, such as tapioca.
“I was blown away by the breadth of ethnic foods they have,” Jones says. Stores in Westchester are also em- bracing the “buy local” trend—par- ticularly Whole Foods. Whole Foods’ Westchester stores stock baked goodies from Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, Captain Lawrence beers from Elmsford, Hard Crack toffees from Port Chester, Lola Granola bars from Croton Falls, and per- sonal-care products from Weleda, which has its North American office
Whole Foods (above) and expanded Cheese Shoppes at Stew Leonard’s.
Foodie demand has brought craft beers to
“The Fairway
cheese
counter is
exciting,
elaborate;
there’s
theater
toit.”
—shopper Judy Shampanier, Pelham
in Irvington.
Many stores are also embracing
shoppers on special diets, wheth- er vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or Paleo. “For us, in almost every category, you have to have a con- ventional choice, you might have an organic, natural choice, and there might be a gluten-free choice,” says DeCicco. “It’s tough for us because space is tight, and we’re not a dedicated natural-foods store.”
But grocers know they have to keep up. Otherwise, “customers can go to a lot of different places for food,” says Sinatra.•
Elaine Pofeldt is a freelance journalist who writes about entrepreneurship and careers. She is a former Fortune Small Business senior editor.
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