New product offerings are a main focus of recent remodels announced last week by Natural Grocers and Raley’s.
Raley’s reopened location in Reno, Nevada, features an expanded fresh, made-to-order salad bar, Signature Hot Wok dishes and an in-house sushi bar. In addition, the store now has “new and improved” options like popular grab-and-go such as chef-crafted sandwiches, fresh sides and proteins. Raley’s also added gourmet dog treats made with human-grade ingredients to its pet aisle.
Along with the food offerings, the store received a “new and modern décor package” along with new equipment, per the announcement.
Located at Keystone Avenue and W. 7th Street, the store reopened last week after being closed for nearly five months.
Nearly 1,300 miles away, a soon-to-open Natural Grocers’ store in Amarillo, Texas, will have a larger produce section as part of the changes. With a grand opening slated for June 8, the store at 7441 Hillsdale Rd. is the larger relocation from down the street.
"We're excited to give our customers more space to shop, which also means new product offerings throughout all departments," Raquel Isely, vice president of marketing for Natural Grocers, said in the announcement.
Along with the bigger produce department, the store will also more refrigerated items and supplements. The store will include a Nutrition Education Center — a community space for in-store classes, recipe demonstrations and nutrition education courses. The store also has sustainable building features and energy-saving measures like non-toxic building materials and 100% LED lighting.
Boosting fresh assortment and marketing fresh has become a major focus for grocery remodels and new store builds in recent years. Food Lion has remodeled the vast majority of its stores with a “fresh” focus, which has helped boost comp sales chainwide, while Schnuck Markets recently opened a fresh-focused store banner.
