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Retailer News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2019 www.gourmetnews.com RETAILER NEWS 9 H-E-B Opens Tech Hub in Austin H-E-B opened its Eastside Tech Hub on June 24. The new facility is the retailer's state-of-the-art office for its growing team of Austin, Texas-based H-E-B Digital Partners (employees), as well as the new headquarters for Favor, the Austin-based on-demand delivery company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of H-E- B. Complementing its existing H-E-B Digital team at H-E-B's headquarters in San Antonio, the Eastside Tech Hub further accelerates the retailer's path toward becoming the digital industry leader in Texas. The two-story, open office concept renovated from a former warehouse offers a variety of dynamic work areas spread throughout the floor plan, including open collaboration areas, individual work spaces and more than 50 meeting rooms of varying sizes, equipped with advanced technology and video conferencing capabilities. To foster continued collaboration between its San Antonio- and Austin-based Partners, the retailer will provide shuttle rides between the two cities on Wi-Fi enabled buses throughout the work week. Additionally, the modern office boasts a coffee bar featuring local roasteries, a lounge area, a large events space and a wellness center featuring a rock-climbing wall, curated fitness classes, bike parking and showers. Fairway Market Partners with Forager As part of its commitment to providing its customers with the highest quality local food and great customer service, Fairway Market, which operates 15 stores in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut tri-state area, has begun using the Forager digital procurement system to source local food, ensuring Fairway's access to up-to-the-minute farm inventory with more choices and varieties. Headquartered in New York City and serving the Tri-State area, Fairway Market launched with the Forager platform in response to rising customer demand for locally sourced food. Forager's online and mobile platform digitizes and streamlines the procurement-to-payment process, saving time and costs for grocers. According to a new national consumer survey conducted by Forager, 78 percent of consumers usually place local food on their shopping list, 93 percent of consumers would buy more local food if it was available at their primary grocery store and 84 percent would make an extra shopping trip for local, seasonal food. Natural Grocers Now Official Grocer of Colorado Ski Resorts In partnership with Alterra Mountain Company, Natural Grocers is sponsoring the Steamboat Ski Resort and Winter Park Ski Resort in Colorado. With a mission to empower communities to lead healthier, vibrant lives, Natural Grocers will serve as the official grocer to the mountain destinations. Meijer Team Members Star in TV Commercials Scrutinizing the meat counter at the Indianapolis Meijer on Keystone Ave. to make sure it looks "pretty" is part of the daily grind for Tyrone Bray. He's among a handful of Meijer employees featured this year in TV commercials across the Midwest that showcase what they do, their knowledge and the retailer's standards and commitment to quality. This is the first time Meijer has featured its team members as stars in the company's advertising. New Convenience Store Concept Opens in Florida Rogers Market has officially opened its first location in Fort Myers, Florida. This flag- ship store is the first milestone in an ag- gressive growth strategy for longtime petroleum jobber ATCO Inc. ATCO has owned and operated traditional gas stations and convenience stores on the west coast of Florida since the 1970s. Current Owner and Interior Designer Gigi Rogers decided to take a different approach in the rebrand- ing of her new stores. "I've been in the convenience store busi- ness my whole life. My father started ATCO. Every member of my family worked for him in one way or another. My job was always the same. I would go into a failing station, do a complete overhaul from both a design and operational standpoint, and poof… the station would start doing well. Needless to say, I had a knack for this type of thing," says Rogers. "Regardless, I moved away to pursue my own ca- reer as an interior designer in Los An- geles, but after my father's passing, I decided to come back and run the family business. The first thing I noticed was that nothing had changed. It was time for a transformation." Rogers Market sets itself apart by focusing on two major elements: de- sign and food serv- ice. Rogers Market features a sleek and modern aesthetic with large contrast- ing signage featur- ing a large X-Ray rubber duck, the brand's mascot. In- side, the design scheme is com- prised of an array of geometric shapes, tex- tures and colors that artfully come together, the work of a de- sign expert. From the grand marble entryway of the store, to the tiled interior walls, neon yellow signage, floating ceilings, pendant lights, and inset LED rubber duck lights in the walls; this is not your average gas station, instead a nod to a passionate interior designer turned petro- leum executive with a vision for an ele- vated convenience store experience. Roger's Market's deli and food service is also a highlight of the brand's redevelop- ment. A chalkboard menu highlights fast food alternatives like fried chicken sand- wiches, homemade meatloaf, banana pud- ding, and other homemade comfort foods. By creating simple menu items with quality ingredients, Rogers Market is yet again breaking the stereotypes of a traditional convenience store, providing an easy, af- fordable and satisfying restaurant alterna- tive for nearby residents. The brand is slated to open at least three more Rogers Markets in the year 2020. GN Gourmet Food Continued from PAGE 1 products that shoppers won't find easily anywhere else, and Ignatow and Levine work hard to make sure that the selection is at the forefront of current food trends. Not long after opening, they added house- made fresh soups, salads and sandwiches that draw in lunchtime traffic from the of- fices and shops nearby. "Chocolate is also a big cate- gory – and wine," Ignatow said. "What we were looking to offer our customers was good value, high-quality selec- tions." The store draws local shop- pers as well as visitors who come to explore the neighbor- hood or to attend one of the events for which the area is noted. "What draws these cus- tomers to the store is that we have a knowledgeable staff with years of experience," Ignatow said. "A lot of the younger customers just want to explore what's new. Other customers frequently travel, so they've come back from their trips with requests to get the things they tasted." Often, these products are available at the store. Customers often come to the store to ask for advice about recipes and menus. Others come for the gift baskets that are one of Levine's specialties or they come for advice on how to build a cheese board and to shop for the cheeses and char- cuterie. "We have a lot of products that pair well with cheese," Ig- natow said. "We sell a lot of food gifts – gift baskets. Sylvia creates all the baskets that get shipped out on a daily basis. Bas- kets are delivered locally and shipped all over the country as well." Recently, a customer came in looking for assistance with a groom's cake for their wedding – the couple had decided they wanted it made completely of cheese. Stephen Keel- ing, the store's long-time Culinary Special- ist, was more than happy to help. "We had a wonderful time making this cake entirely out of cheese," Ignatow said. "We're really not afraid of reaching out to try something new." Other customers are looking for advice about food and wine pairings, and Ignatow is happy to oblige. She's a level 2 sommelier certi- fied by the Court of Master Sommeliers, is an avid cook and also handles the store's busi- ness responsibilities, while her sister is great at merchandising, gift baskets and manages the cheese case that currently includes Bril- lat Savarin, Delice de Bourgogne, Ossau-Iraty – blue cheeses, sheep milk and goat milk cheeses, Spanish cheeses, Italian cheeses and French cheeses and a great selection of artisan domestic cheeses. "Buffalo moz- zarella is selling well because the tomatoes right now are beautiful. Also offered is house-made cheddar spread, and crab dip," Ignatow said. "What is important is that we know our customers by name, we know what they like, and if we get something new, we can say, 'You may enjoy trying this,' and suggestions are always welcome." GN

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