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Retailer News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com RETAILER NEWS 1 0 Market of Choice Places Community at the Core Latin Marketplace Opens in D.C. Cosecha, a Latin marketplace for restaurants, retail and rotating pop-ups opened in Washington, D.C.'s Union Market District on October 3. The 20,000 square-foot cross-cultural marketplace features more than a dozen businesses, including El Cielo, a pop-up of JuanMa Barrientos' upcoming modern Colombian restaurant; NOVA BOSSA, a luxury jewelry, décor and accessories boutique featuring female-run brands; Amparo, Christian Irabien's modern Mexican fare with a mezcal- heavy bar program; and Zona E Home, a family- owned Colombia-based family interiors + furniture sho. Mosaico Street Food + Market, which will offer a range of Latin goods and a rotating menu of street food, will be coming later this fall, as will Grand Cata, a grocery-wine bar concept offering a curated selection of Latin wines. Whole Foods Market Brings Briggo Coffee Robot Briggo, creator of the world's first gourmet, robotic barista, will open its first grocery store location in the U.S. inside the new Houston- Midtown Whole Foods Market, scheduled to open November 7. Briggo has officially joined the Friends of Whole Foods Market program and will deliver shoppers an innovative, in-store coffee service which also includes Whole Foods Market artisan house brand, Allegro Coffee. Lidl US to Provide Medical Benefits to Part-Timers As part of its effort to offer one of the most generous benefits packages in the industry, Lidl US will provide medical benefits for all its employees in more than 70 stores regardless of the number of hours they work per week. Starting January 1, 2020, around 1,200 team members working part-time will be eligible to buy into medical coverage through the company. Natural Grocers Expands Meat and Seafood Departments Natural Grocers recently refreshed its meat and seafood department selections in all its grocery stores across 19 states. The new and improved meat and seafood department features high-quality and exotic varieties of grass-fed meat, pork, poultry, fish and seafood. Customers can expect a wide variety of offerings including, bison, beef, yak, wild boar, elk, venison, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, ostrich, cod, mahi mahi, salmon, scallops, shrimp, tuna, pollock, rockfish and sole. Trader Joe's to Open in Denville, New Jersey Trader Joe's has signed a new lease at a 91,700 square foot open-air lifestyle shopping center located in Denville, New Jersey. Trader Joe's will replace a former Pier 1 Imports and join retailers such as Bluemercury, Starbucks, Banana Republic, Club Pilates, a recently opened CycleBar, and other national brands. Trader Joe's is expected to open in the fall of 2019 and will occupy an approximately 14,500 square foot prominent endcap unit. are right there next to each other, for them to have the choice." Among the offerings are from-scratch bakeries in each of the 10 stores. "We are one of the few places that does custom cakes from scratch, whether that's a first birthday or a wedding or any kind of spe- cial event," McDonald said. "Our cus- tomers know they have that choice to come to our store and have that service in our perishables department." Custom, personalized service is crucial to the store experience, said Marcus Purkapile, Kitchen Manager at the flagship Eugene store. He said the quality and local products the stores provide require a high level of salesmanship and ample time to help customers find exactly what they want. That, he said, builds a loyal customer base. "A lot of people, we know by name. They come in every day," Purkapile said, adding that some of their customers grew up shop- ping there as kids. "We get a lot of regular customers. A lot of the time, when people are walking up — especially in the morn- ings — we're already starting to put their order together. We know exactly what they want." The bakeries are completely open, so shoppers coming into the store can see the bakers at work, according to Vicky Anderson, Bakery Manager at the flag- ship location in Eugene, Oregon. "When they come in, they see 15 busy bees back there working, everybody doing their jobs. It brings that fresh in-house reality to them, and they really get a kick out of that." Constant communication with the customer base helps set the store apart, Anderson said. "Market of Choice allows each store to adjust to their communi- ties," she said. "It's not as if every store has to be exactly alike; we have the free- dom to come up with new ideas.... When people want special, they come to Mar- ket of Choice. When they want to create that wow factor, they come to Market of Choice. If it's an occasion that really mat- ters, and they want the best, they come to us." GN BY GREG GONZALES Market of Choice lives up to its name with the range of products on its shelves, and shoppers coming into any of the 10 stores scattered around Oregon from Portland in the northwest to Bend in the southeast feel as if they've been transported somewhere that connects them to the food, their lifestyle and their community, says Beth McDonald, Vice President of Perishable Product and Merchandise. "And that's in- tentional on our part," she adds. Market of Choice celebrated its 40th Anniversary this year and will add an eleventh store to its family next year. Choice isn't just part of the name; it's the ethic of the stores, down to how they or- ganize products. "You don't have to go to a specific section of the store to find your natural or organic products," said Amy Delaney, Manager of Customer Experi- ence. "It's all there on the shelves, right next to the conventional products, which gives the customer the choice to choose what they like. Whether they want or- ganic pasta or Kraft mac and cheese, both

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