Dive Brief:

• Price Rite Marketplace, owned by Wakefern Food Corp., is launching a pilot program this week at three of its stores in Pennsylvania. The program will provide deep discounts, expanded fresh food offerings and a better in-store shopping experience at locations in Bethlehem, Secane and Allentown. A community celebration will be held at each store Friday, October 5. 
• In addition to discounted prices, these Price Rite stores will have a new “Drop Zone” section where products will typically be $3 or less. The store layouts have also been redesigned with updated decor, market-style produce departments with LED lighting, brighter colors and better signage throughout the stores. 
• “For more than 20 years, Price Rite has been proud to offer incredible value and fresh products to our shoppers. Now we are moving forward by cutting prices further on hundreds of items while highlighting our fresh offerings and making it even easier to spot extraordinary deals in our redesigned and reimagined Price Rite Marketplace stores,” said Jim Dorey, president of Price Rite Marketplace, in a press release.

Dive Insight:

While price and in-store layout are important components of the new design, perhaps the biggest piece of news is that Price Rite is improving its selection of fresh, high-quality food. There will be a wider selection of Wholesome Pantry products, which includes organic and gluten-free items, as well as an upgraded bakery department with a “Sweet Spot” dessert case and baked goods from a local shop. The produce departments will offer locally grown produce from 16 Pennsylvania farms, and an upgraded meat department will feature brands such as Perdue’s No Antibiotics Ever Chicken, Oasis Halal. Certified Angus Beef, and organic chicken from its private label line Wholesome Pantry. 

Late last year, Price Rite launched its rebranding effort at the Secane store and said that the new look and offerings would be rolled out elsewhere this year. This week’s announcement illustrates that Wakefern is seeing this commitment through. The Bethlehem and Allentown stores have received complete redesigns, while Secane received a few improvements to its already remodeled store. 

The three Pennsylvania locations are not the only redesigned stores for Price Rite. It appears that the retailer has been steadily rolling out its new concepts in markets throughout the Northeast. Reports say that Price Rite stores in Connecticut were undergoing redesign in February this year. In April, a Price Rite store opened in Buffalo, N.Y., offering similar features and products, and in July, two stores in Syracuse, N.Y. were unveiled with the same remodel. According to company press releases, it will likely just be a matter of time before all 65 stores under the banner are rebranded. 

Price-focused grocers, including Price Rite, are quickly learning that discounts alone won’t keep them competitive. As discounter Aldi continues a major remodel and overhaul of its fresh, organic offerings and expands in the U.S., other stores nationwide are taking note and making plans of their own. While in the past, expanding fresh food and organic, high-quality offerings may have been a move to compete with upscale grocery chains, today this move is necessary to remain competitive within the same group of budget-friendly grocers. 

In addition to its reimagined store layout efforts, Price Rite has shown a commitment to keeping up with the demands of today’s consumers, including self-checkout lanes and home delivery through Instacart.