Fresh Fare Kroger in Kenwood (Columbus, Cincinnati: home, live, restaurant)

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by aquila

I have a question.....where is the company's largest store? Is it Newport/Bellevue now?

I haven't been to one larger than the Mitchell Ave. location to this date. It's huge, appliances, furniture, etc ...

[yayoi]

Ok I went to the new Kroger last evening. From a distance, you can't even tell it a Kroger. The building looks like it could be a department or retail store not a grocery store. It's looks like there will be plenty of parking once the hoopla dies down.

The store looks nice on the inside although it's still nothing to get worked up about. The cafes are situated on the right side of the store along with the cheese shop. They do have a larger organic food section and a much larger selection of freshly baked breads and pastries. Their wine selection is a little larger as well. For the ready made food section, I saw a sandwich shop, sushi bar, another shop that I'm not sure what they sell, and of course a Starbucks.

Next I went over to the meats and saw some bison patties and hotdogs. I stuck to regular beef but was happy to see different types of meats available. I didn't get to see much in the seafood section. I'll have to go back later when it's less crowded. The produce section looked nice but it was no Meijer's. It just had the standard fruits and veggies you can get anywhere else.

So basically we just have a Kroger that looks nicer and has a couple of cafes and a cheese shop. It's alot like the grocery portion of Meijers but in warmer colors.

Anyways, that's my take on it the new Kroger from the short time I was there. I wouldn't call it a "destination" store like the media is touting it to be. I'm perfectly content on shopping at a Meijer's or a regular Kroger.

[soozycue520]

Originally Posted by aquila

I have a question.....where is the company's largest store? Is it Newport/Bellevue now?

The Kroger in Bellevue is not a very big, nor impressive, store.

The one in Anderson Towne Center {the old Beechmont Mall} is amazing. They have a woman making fresh tortillas, a patisserie, even a jewelry store. Before Kroger Marketplaces started opening, this was the largest Kroger.


Anderson Kroger to be largest

[Crew Chief]

Kroger's fixing to do the same thing with their Centerville (Montgomery Co.) store on South Main Street; raze the old store and build a larger "Fresh Fare" store on the other end of the parking lot. That's OK, they won't get my Dorothy Lane Market card until they pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

[aquila]

This Enquirer story is why I was asking. The Kroger Marketplace in Newport Pavilion is supposed to be 120,000 sf. That's larger than any other Kroger store I've heard of. Why doesn't the city of Cincinnati itself have the largest Kroger establishment? I say it should be the Hyde Park store.

[price hill will]

The newly rebuilt Price Hill Kroger opens on 12/4. Pretty decent size. It even going have a gas station.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by aquila

Why doesn't the city of Cincinnati itself have the largest Kroger establishment?

When a company decides to make a muti-million dollar investment like this, you better believe that they have done a lot of homework!

Take a look at some internet sites that list income by zipcode - not just current figures but income growth. Neighborhoods within the City of Cincinnati just don't have the income to justify the kind of investment associated with larger store formats.

As for the Fresh Fare in Kenwood, I think it DOES make sense... consumers in that area are probably more able and inclined to opt for the convenience of pre-made meals more frequently than say, North College Hill.

Same way that, for example, that the Kroger store on Hunt Rd. in Blue Ash has a significant selection of Kosher foods whereas the Kroger on route 128 in Harrison does not.

By the way, sizewise, it gets to be a bit technical but Kroger also owns Fred Meyer (the Enquire article mentions Fred Meyer Jewelry but there is much more to Fred Meyer than that) and Food-4-less stores. Both these store formats are a lot larger than the stores we are used to.

[HuskerDu]

Originally Posted by The Don

When a company decides to make a muti-million dollar investment like this, you better believe that they have done a lot of homework!

Take a look at some internet sites that list income by zipcode - not just current figures but income growth. Neighborhoods within the City of Cincinnati just don't have the income to justify the kind of investment associated with larger store formats.

As for the Fresh Fare in Kenwood, I think it DOES make sense... consumers in that area are probably more able and inclined to opt for the convenience of pre-made meals more frequently than say, North College Hill.

Same way that, for example, that the Kroger store on Hunt Rd. in Blue Ash has a significant selection of Kosher foods whereas the Kroger on route 128 in Harrison does not.

By the way, sizewise, it gets to be a bit technical but Kroger also owns Fred Meyer (the Enquire article mentions Fred Meyer Jewelry but there is much more to Fred Meyer than that) and Food-4-less stores. Both these store formats are a lot larger than the stores we are used to.

So with this information in mind, why is the Hyde Park location a barely spiffed up version of 1980?? I would think the competition of Whole Foods and Fresh Market etc. would warrant a bigger push within a much more progressive neighborhood as opposed to Kenwood where people are a little less in tune and/or likely to step outside of any boxes.

[Cincy-Rise]

^ Plus how many organic, higher priced grocers are there within a 5 mile radius of Oakley Square, like 3 or 4 right?

I try to buy as much groceries as I can at Whole Foods, but it can be very expensive in comparison to a regular Kroger or Bigg's.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by HuskerDu

So with this information in mind, why is the Hyde Park location a barely spiffed up version of 1980?? I would think the competition of Whole Foods and Fresh Market etc. would warrant a bigger push within a much more progressive neighborhood as opposed to Kenwood where people are a little less in tune and/or likely to step outside of any boxes.

The Hyde Park store is definately NOT just a spiffed up version of 1980. With its prepared food area, bakery, cheese shop, shushi bar etc.

As far as whole foods is concerned -- evidently, the margins are just not there. There is a Wild Oats store not too far from the H.P. Kroger - I know it is well patronized but I don't know how profitable it is $.

And don't forget the Hyde Park store covers more than just Hyde Park - people from parts of Pleasant Ridge, Madisonville and Oakley shop there also.