This is a good post identifying a deficiency that can't, as noted, be addressed solely by changing the zoning scheme. I suggest sharing European models where large market chains have small outposts, like sub-brands. There are the large supermarkets, but the chain may also have the "express" local version catering to the neighborhood, including mostly pedestrian traffic. Migro v Migrolino in Switzerland, for example. Or, Waitrose and its smaller incarnation Little Waitrose in the UK.
I believe one of the reasons the "ethnic" small format stores can exist is their suppliers don't force them to "get big or get out" (to channel Earl Butz). Big ag and all of their food manufacturers don't want to deal with small players so they force all kinds of requirements on retailers that incentivizes large scale. My wife has worked in the food business her entire career and has shared stories with me of such strong arm tactics when she was in the retail end of the chain.
Here in Boston one of the major chains, Stop and Shop (owned by Ahold, which also owns Giant, I think) started two or three smaller stores, called bfresh. They were popular, but not popular enough as they have also closed by now because of underperforming. I think they were too unfocused, though -- they had a lot of grab'n'go items and a lot of natural/organic items, but I think they would have done better focusing on staples. In Back Bay there's a Trader Joe's that's so small and busy that if I go there on a Sunday, I often have to get in line immediately because it snakes through the whole store.
The rise of grocery delivery has definitely changed things, especially for the better off consumer who would be living in those new mixed use communities.
I've also noticed that Whole Foods is very good at the urban footprint store. In fact, many of their locations in Boston and its inner suburbs were previously used by local chains like Stop and Shop and Star Market before they moved to bigger, more suburban stores. (Although there are also exceptions to exceptions around here.)
I'm also pleased to be able to say I've shopped at a more "authentic" Main Street store. In my old neighborhood of Brighton Center there is a store called Johnny D's Fruit and Produce. It's 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep and well-patronized by the neighborhood, even surviving a nearby bfresh and the Lockdown when the store was so small it couldn't be opened.
I was going to make the same point about Whole Foods! They have some very teeny stores in and around Boston, but sprawling stores in the suburbs. Some of the smaller stores sacrifice an in house butcher for packaged meats or have a smaller prepared foods area, but they serve their area very well.
Good observations. I'll add to my comments that both stores and consumers need to change. Living in Europe for the prior ten years, it became normal to visit the market 2-3 times a week (on foot) because of the lack of preservatives. This also meant, to your point about the smaller stores, stores could specialize. Down the street from where I lived in west London were two small stores that specialized in vegetables. That's pretty much all they had. (One store would have something over 8 different varieties of tomatoes and a similar variety of carrots, in season of course.)
Columbia Hieghts DC has this in spades. I lived between a small Ethiopian market and a larger Latino supermarket for a while and now a Lidl anchors the urban mall by the metro. Could be a good area to examine for a good model.
This is spot on. I’ve been trying to share these versions of stores with developers in the area, asking, why not just recruit these folks to open a neighborhood store? I imagine one other issue comes into play - earning expectations for the owners and staff. I’ve not ever asked or looked into it, but I expect many “ethnic” stores are run by mom and pop operators, and they don’t expect to make 150k/ year running it. That helps with the margins and model quite a bit. The larger the operation, the more corporate, the more layers of people who expect a higher salary.
My city of Nashua has many Hispanic stores as well as convenience style stores with boxed and can food (and beer). None of them have great produce, though, which limits their use for me. I'd like a co-op grocery store downtown. Fresh produce, meat counter, etc. Especially as more (higher end) housing goes in downtown
I have never liked shopping in enormous grocery stores, which is one of the reasons why I seek out the smaller ones. Trader Joe's, of course, and there's also a smaller retailer called Fresh Market with stores in my area.
I'm also watching with interest this local company, which opened during the pandemic to deliver groceries from vendors at our downtown Findlay Market, and has since gone into the brick and mortar business there. They plan to open a second store in another city neighborhood later this year (https://www.etcproduce.com/news-etc).
I'd love to have a store in my own neighborhood. It's the only thing missing from the mix in my own community business district.
This is a good post identifying a deficiency that can't, as noted, be addressed solely by changing the zoning scheme. I suggest sharing European models where large market chains have small outposts, like sub-brands. There are the large supermarkets, but the chain may also have the "express" local version catering to the neighborhood, including mostly pedestrian traffic. Migro v Migrolino in Switzerland, for example. Or, Waitrose and its smaller incarnation Little Waitrose in the UK.
Carrefour operates stores like this in a number of countries. The author might have seen them in Italy on his trip.
I believe one of the reasons the "ethnic" small format stores can exist is their suppliers don't force them to "get big or get out" (to channel Earl Butz). Big ag and all of their food manufacturers don't want to deal with small players so they force all kinds of requirements on retailers that incentivizes large scale. My wife has worked in the food business her entire career and has shared stories with me of such strong arm tactics when she was in the retail end of the chain.
I think Earl Butz might be my arch nemesis.
-Killed family farms
-Pretty racist
-Made fun of the Pope
That's three strikes right there!
Here in Boston one of the major chains, Stop and Shop (owned by Ahold, which also owns Giant, I think) started two or three smaller stores, called bfresh. They were popular, but not popular enough as they have also closed by now because of underperforming. I think they were too unfocused, though -- they had a lot of grab'n'go items and a lot of natural/organic items, but I think they would have done better focusing on staples. In Back Bay there's a Trader Joe's that's so small and busy that if I go there on a Sunday, I often have to get in line immediately because it snakes through the whole store.
The rise of grocery delivery has definitely changed things, especially for the better off consumer who would be living in those new mixed use communities.
I've also noticed that Whole Foods is very good at the urban footprint store. In fact, many of their locations in Boston and its inner suburbs were previously used by local chains like Stop and Shop and Star Market before they moved to bigger, more suburban stores. (Although there are also exceptions to exceptions around here.)
I'm also pleased to be able to say I've shopped at a more "authentic" Main Street store. In my old neighborhood of Brighton Center there is a store called Johnny D's Fruit and Produce. It's 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep and well-patronized by the neighborhood, even surviving a nearby bfresh and the Lockdown when the store was so small it couldn't be opened.
I was going to make the same point about Whole Foods! They have some very teeny stores in and around Boston, but sprawling stores in the suburbs. Some of the smaller stores sacrifice an in house butcher for packaged meats or have a smaller prepared foods area, but they serve their area very well.
Good observations. I'll add to my comments that both stores and consumers need to change. Living in Europe for the prior ten years, it became normal to visit the market 2-3 times a week (on foot) because of the lack of preservatives. This also meant, to your point about the smaller stores, stores could specialize. Down the street from where I lived in west London were two small stores that specialized in vegetables. That's pretty much all they had. (One store would have something over 8 different varieties of tomatoes and a similar variety of carrots, in season of course.)
Columbia Hieghts DC has this in spades. I lived between a small Ethiopian market and a larger Latino supermarket for a while and now a Lidl anchors the urban mall by the metro. Could be a good area to examine for a good model.
This is spot on. I’ve been trying to share these versions of stores with developers in the area, asking, why not just recruit these folks to open a neighborhood store? I imagine one other issue comes into play - earning expectations for the owners and staff. I’ve not ever asked or looked into it, but I expect many “ethnic” stores are run by mom and pop operators, and they don’t expect to make 150k/ year running it. That helps with the margins and model quite a bit. The larger the operation, the more corporate, the more layers of people who expect a higher salary.
My city of Nashua has many Hispanic stores as well as convenience style stores with boxed and can food (and beer). None of them have great produce, though, which limits their use for me. I'd like a co-op grocery store downtown. Fresh produce, meat counter, etc. Especially as more (higher end) housing goes in downtown
I have never liked shopping in enormous grocery stores, which is one of the reasons why I seek out the smaller ones. Trader Joe's, of course, and there's also a smaller retailer called Fresh Market with stores in my area.
I'm also watching with interest this local company, which opened during the pandemic to deliver groceries from vendors at our downtown Findlay Market, and has since gone into the brick and mortar business there. They plan to open a second store in another city neighborhood later this year (https://www.etcproduce.com/news-etc).
I'd love to have a store in my own neighborhood. It's the only thing missing from the mix in my own community business district.