Schnucks goes wholesome and pure with EatWell Markets

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The EatWell Market in Columbia has cabinets filled with pure meals, an oven that makes recent pizzas within the retailer and a merchandising machine that provides merchandise made with CBD oil.

A pair of machines churn out two sorts of peanut butter — common and honey roasted. Its diapers are made with out latex, perfume, lotion or chlorine processing. The majority-food bins provide chocolate-covered raisins, blended nuts and strawberry vanilla hemp granola.

Mainly, it’s a cross between Entire Meals and Contemporary Thyme. Within the spring, one will likely be opening in Chesterfield.

The Chesterfield Commons location would be the second EatWell Market, which is a part of the Schnucks chain. Govt Vice President of Supermarkets Ted Schnuck mentioned the shop is not going to solely give attention to specialty and natural meals however will even join with prospects about issues of well being and well-being.

Firm spokesman Paul Simon mentioned that natural and pure meals, together with specialty meals, are “one thing that our prospects have informed us they’re interested by. We really feel the EatWell retailer in Chesterfield presents us the chance to take that up a notch.”

The Columbia retailer opened in June 2020, and has executed properly sufficient that the corporate has determined to develop the idea into Chesterfield and probably different places.

Whereas just about all grocery shops have some quantity of pure and natural meals on the market, at EatWell, that’s primarily all they promote.

You may get keto carb-friendly toaster waffles there, and all kinds of kombucha. However should you’re in search of Cheerios, you’ll should go elsewhere.

“Our produce (division) will give attention to a a lot bigger assortment of domestically grown choices, within the meat division you’ll see objects raised with out antibiotics or development hormones. We will likely be primarily targeting these objects, bulk objects, freshly floor nut butters,” Schnuck mentioned.

The brand new retailer will carry Schnucks’ personal label model and the corporate’s Culinaria model.

Schnucks’ largest native non-discount competitor, Dierbergs, is just not involved in regards to the new course the chain is taking.

“We’ve an unimaginable number of specialty merchandise together with gluten-free, plant-based, natural and extra in any respect of our places. This selection assists all of our prospects with their dietary preferences in every of the communities we serve,” mentioned Dierbergs spokesperson Jamie Collins.

Grocery shops are not like many different companies in that the client base is finite. Any further enterprise at one retailer is essentially misplaced from different shops — and Schnucks has one other Chesterfield location simply 3 miles away.

Schnuck mentioned that at any time when a brand new retailer opens, there’s the likelihood that it’s going to draw prospects from the corporate’s different shops.

“However I feel any prospects which can be pulled from our Schnucks places will likely be greater than made up for by new prospects that we will appeal to,” he mentioned.

A method that Schnuck hopes EatWell plans to differentiate itself from the St. Louis space competitors is in its free group occasions, akin to yoga courses or a diet class led by an organization dietitian.

“We’ll have instructional seminars from, say, a neighborhood cheese producer, perhaps a wine producer who is just not from right here who will discuss meals pairings,” Schnuck mentioned.

The Chesterfield Commons location was chosen partly as a result of the obtainable house was the dimensions the corporate was in search of at 30,000 sq. ft. That’s about half the dimensions of a typical Schnucks retailer, which is by design. Different pure meals grocery shops are about that measurement, too, he mentioned.

As a result of there are fewer pure and natural meals available on the market than standard items, there wouldn’t be sufficient stock to refill a bigger retailer.

The EatWell Market in Columbia is in an previous Fortunate grocery retailer, which was 41,000 sq. ft. The EatWell portion of the constructing now takes up about 30,000 of these ft, and the rest is turned over to a Schucks Specific market. It’s a smaller model of a standard Schucks retailer, the place prospects should buy name-brand favorites, akin to Heinz ketchup and Coca-Cola, which aren’t offered at EatWell.

Schnuck mentioned the Schnucks Specific retailer will likely be distinctive to the Columbia location due to the dimensions of the shop they started with. Any future enlargement will likely be restricted to 30,000-square-foot shops, he mentioned.