Big Y is aiming to make it easier for its customers to get hard-to-find Hispanic groceries.
The chain’s remodeled store in West Springfield, Massachusetts, which reopened this week, features an expanded Hispanic grocery section, according to a Thursday announcement.
The expanded section has traditional ingredients and pantry staples from across Latin America including Brazil and the Caribbean. The store, located at 503 Memorial Ave., also offers tropical fruits and vegetables like plantains and ajicito peppers as well as an expanded selection of roots, sugar cane, chayote, chili and more.
Hispanic products are also available across store departments, including empanadas, quesadillas and burrito bowls in the grocer’s ready-to-eat section, specialty meats in the butcher shop, octopus and a variety of fish among its frozen seafood options and tres leches cake in the bakery.
“We had a ton of demand for these types of products. People were having trouble finding them in the area and started requesting them,” Sean Thompson, the store director, said in the announcement. “It’s very exciting for us to be able to get our customers what they want.”
Nearly 12% of the town’s population identified as Latino or Hispanic in July 2023, according to the Census Bureau. Roughly 80% identified as white.
Last month, Big Y put out a call for Hispanic products for the West Springfield store, noting it was hosting a “Local Hispanic Vendor Discovery Tour” to help it find more Hispanic and Latin American products.
Big Y said Thursday that the West Springfield store renovations started in February 2023 and are part of a broader strategy to modernize the company’s retail stores “to create a more enjoyable shopping experience for both customers and associates.”
Other changes to the location include new décor with a farmer’s market style open-air entrance, an expanded grab-and-go section with an added self-serve pizza section, and a renovated meat and seafood department. The location also has new energy-efficient refrigerated cases, upgraded flooring and a modernized exterior.
Last week, Big Y announced the opening of its first of three stores opening in Connecticut this year. Located in Brookfield, the new store includes a bakery, full-service butcher, deli and seafood department.
Big Y said it is planning to open stores in Middletown and Westport, Connecticut, this year as well as one in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Once all of these stores are open, Big Y will have a total of 77 supermarkets.
