Dive Brief:
- Schnuck Markets is nearly done remodeling two stores in its hometown of St. Louis, the Midwest grocer announced in a press release. Shoppers will be able to earn double Schnucks Rewards points when they shop between Dec. 2 and Dec. 8 at the two locations.
- The grocer's Culinaria store at 315 N. Ninth St. will be renamed “Schnucks Downtown,” and will have expanded shopping hours, new decor, larger meat and seafood cases and more grocery items, along with new self-checkouts and a self-service Kaldi’s Coffee bar. The store at 4171 Lindell Blvd. in the Central West End will have new decor, an expanded hot food selection, a new “Grab & Go” section, a new cheese island, fresh sushi introduced in the seafood department, a new service meat counter and more self-checkout stations.
- By upgrading in-store selections and giving shoppers more self-checkout options, grocers are looking to fulfill shopper demands for fresher, faster shopping and ultimately convert more pandemic-fueled shoppers into long-term customers.
Dive Insight:
By renaming its North 9th Street location, Schnucks is officially retiring its Culinaria brand, which debuted at the location that opened in 2009. The opening marked a major step forward in prepared foods and small-format retailing for the regional grocer, and the update points to Schnucks' ongoing evolution in fresh, convenient foods.
The new features at the two St. Louis stores mirror what other grocers are doing. New grocery stores this year from retailers like Wegmans, Safeway and Amazon have moved away from traditional checkout lanes, either by offering more self-checkout stations or opting for contactless payment. A few months ago, Schnucks began offering e-receipts to Schnucks Rewards customers, further reducing contact between employees and customers with paper receipts.
The new “Grab & Go” section at the Schnucks Lindell store illustrates how grocers are looking to capitalize on meal planning fatigue as prepackaged meals — once a staple for office workers and the lunchtime crowd — turn into replacements for at-home cooking during the pandemic.
The remodeling of the two stores adds to Schnucks’ efforts this year to boost its in-store experiences for shoppers. In the spring, Schnucks unveiled plans for a new natural food store format called EatWell and also launched a partnership to grow relationships with local farmers.
As restaurants faced financial challenges from the novel coronavirus pandemic, the grocer decided to start selling grab and go meals from restaurants in April and then expanded the program over the summer, partnering with Black-owned eateries in St. Louis. In September, Schnucks announced an expansion of its robot fleet to 46 new locations to help improve stock levels for in-store and online shopping.
