Shopping Center Business is the leading monthly business magazine for the retail real estate industry.
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GROCERY TRENDS 132 • SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS • May 2017 T oday's grocers are catering to the urban shopper and enhancing cus- tomer experience to stay compet- itive in the marketplace. Enter the "groc- erant," a hybrid of the grocery store and restaurant, where customers can pick up their groceries and stay for dinner too. Across the Midwest, the likes of Maria- no's and Whole Foods Market have begun to anchor mixed-use developments. Whole Foods Market has become known for its salad bar and prepared foods at traditional locations. Shoppers can use iPads to order sandwiches, pizza and rice bowls to go, according to JLL's 2017 Grocer Tracker retail research re- port, which emphasizes that convenience is leading grocery trends. Mayfair Collection, a shopping center developed by HSA Commercial in Wau- watosa, Wisconsin, is now home to a Whole Foods that opened last year. The 47,563-square-foot store was the second location for the Austin, Texas-based com- pany in the Milwaukee area. Geared toward the local customer, the Wauwatosa location features The Tosa Tavern, which offers local beers on tap with a beer growler refill station. Other specialty departments include a cheese shop, butcher shop, juice bar and seafood market. Whole Foods locations nationwide of- fer a variety of prepared foods including delis, pizza ovens, BBQ stations, sushi bars and wine bars. In-store seating areas encourage customers to shop and dine in one. Mariano's maintains its own specialty brands within stores, such as Oki Sushi, Todd's BBQ and Squeez'd juices. Mariano's opened a store at 3030 N. Broadway in Chicago last year to anchor a 137,618-square-foot shopping center. This year, the Wisconsin-based brand will open locations in Des Plaines and Lombard, Illinois. In-store dining and takeout of prepared foods from grocers has increased nearly 30 percent since 2008, according to The NPD Group, a consumer and retail data company. Last year, the market for gro- cery prepared foods was estimated at $29 billion. Changing shopper demographics have led to the heavy focus on prepared foods and in-store dining occurrence. The Rise Of The 'Grocerant' Changing shopper demographics, urban dwellers drive demand for prepared foods across the Midwest. Kristin Hiller Mariano's, now owned by Kroger, has dominated grocery development in Chicago and the suburbs. This location sits at 40 S. Halsted St.