Dive Brief:
- Chicago’s Go Grocer is expanding to Milwaukee, beginning with two new locations, according to local business publication BizTimes.
- The first location, opening on Jan. 18, is a 1,985-square-foot storefront in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. A second location, spanning 2,430 square feet with a small indoor seating area, is set to open in the city’s Brewery District this summer.
- The Chicago grocery chain, which launched its own ultrafast delivery service in 2021, did not respond to a request for more information on its two new stores or on how many new markets it is looking to expand to.
Dive Insight:
The soon-to-open Historic Third Ward store will be located on the ground floor of the Gaslight Lofts building at 415 E. Menomonee St. and will mark Go Grocer’s 15th location and first in Wisconsin.
The Brewery District store, which will open mid-summer, will reside at 926 W. Juneau St. in the former Pabst brewery complex, according to the BizTimes report.
Both Milwaukee stores are smaller than the grocer’s Chicago locations, which range from 3,000 to 7,000 square feet. For the first few months after opening, the Historic Third Ward location will start out with brothers Johnny and Edgar Rivera, the location’s co-owners, as the only floor employees. Eventually, they aim to onboard three to five employees, according to BizTimes.
The report indicated that Go Grocer founders Paul and Greg Stellatos are looking to expand to new markets through franchising agreements. The Riveras, who are childhood friends of the Stellatos, are the company’s first franchisees.
The Go Grocer’s delivery service will be offered at both Milwaukee locations. Through the grocer’s mobile app, shoppers can place orders for pre-made meals, groceries, alcohol and other essentials to be delivered to them within minutes, the grocer’s website states. The company has partnered with Grubhub to fulfill delivery orders in Milwaukee, BizTimes reported.
