Walmart possibly eyeing Downtown for Grocery Store

[escilade18]

Originally Posted by raubre

That doesn't look bad. But what is a Neighborhhod Market, as opposed to a Super Walmart? Is it just a grocery store. It looks a bit small.

Wal-Mart ‘Market Store’ Opens In Presidential Towers « CBS Chicago
Here is a story explaining the concept and shows the inside of one in Chicago. I don't think that it will be terrible (better than a parking lot). I would like there to be a design like Target with the garage being underneath the store rather than a building in the middle of a massive parking lot

[BrianTH]

I didn't get a lot of details from the article, but the picture seems consistent with what I understand city-center urban grocery stores try to do (I see a lot of produce and what looks like might be a fresh prepared foods section):



So it seems to me something like that could potentially work Downtown.

Edit: Although 27000 sqft sounds large for Downtown Pittsburgh.

[nuwaver88]

Here is an article from two years ago about why Rosebud Market closed after only a two year run on 7th Street. If one recalls, the opening of this market in 2008 was met with a lot of fanfare because the PDP had been looking to land a grocer for years. In their studies, that was the # 1 thing keeping more people from living Downtown. There are some interesing comments in this article from 2010. They have learned a lesson and that it is doable. They just need a bigger store, a better location, more reasonable pricing, and a more experienced operator. I do give Robin Fernadez credit for trying.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10082/1044854-28.stm

[BrianTH]

I think it will eventually happen--whether now or after the next round of residential projects, I don't know.