Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/986636
8012 Hankins Industrial Pa rk To ano, VA 23168 800-831-1828 • wholesale@ThePeanutShop.com Visit us at the Summer Fancy Food Show #5008. Ask about our new seasoned peanut flavors! ® Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 5008 retailer profile Making the Most of the Location Talk about a good location. The Fort Greene store is close to a gentrifying residential neighborhood, steps from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a leading cultural venue, Barclays Center, home to the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders, and Atlantic Terminal, a bustling transportation hub. The 30,000-square-foot, two-level store was the first tenant in a new, modern building, which also houses an Apple store. "Fort Greene is underserved super- market-wise. It has a young average age and is a high-density area," says Chase Welles, executive vice president SCG Retail, which represents Whole Foods in New York City and Northern New Jersey. The street-level space, with f loor-to- ceiling windows, houses the wine bar and three food concepts operated by outside vendors as part of the brand's "Friends of 365" program. They include Next Level Burger, billed as "America's first 100 per- cent plant-based burger joint;" Juice Press, maker of smoothies and vegan meals and snacks; and Orwasher's Bakery & Coffee Bar, an outpost of a famed Manhattan bak- ery established in 1916. A common seating area is nearby. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The upper level opens at 7 a.m. POURiT Authority spigots open at 11 a.m. Basics and Specialty on Offer The actual supermarket is on the lower level in a far larger, high-ceilinged space. As shop- pers descend a grand staircase, they're greet- ed with an expansive produce department. Fresh fruits and vegetables are merchandised warehouse style. The high-touch fresh departments Whole Foods is known for, including bak- ery, meat, prepared foods, and seafood, are absent. Instead, all fresh items are pre- packed and merchandised in refrigerated cases f lanking the perimeter. Grocery is mostly center store, with a limited assort- ment. Throughout, signage is big and bold, and much is digital. A wall of pre-packed produce includes numerous salad mixes. A refrigerated case holds packs of spiralized vegetables and caulif lower rice, all under the 365 Everyday Value brand. Its private-label products dominate and get the best shelf placement. Nevertheless, "Fort Greene is underserved supermarket-wise. It has a young average age and is a high- density area." 44 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com