Price Chopper Plans Upstate N.Y. Concept Store

In response to increasing competition in New York’s upstate Capital Region, Price Chopper revealed plans to roll out a state-of-the-art concept store, according to a published report.

The location, a planned 10,000-square-foot expansion of Price Chopper’s existing 90,000-square-foot Latham store, will house 16 eateries, an in-house cooking school, and produce grown and harvested on-site. The expansion is expected to add about 60 foodservice jobs to the 350 already supported by the store.

Areas offering prepared foods ready in minutes will include a New York-style deli, a chef’s grill, a pizzeria, a Mexican restaurant, a New England-style fish fry, a salad and vegan bar, and a meat rotisserie. A seating area will be able to accommodate 140, with 40 to 50 additional outdoor seats when weather permits. Local and regional chefs will take part in demos at the cooking school, while a revamped pharmacy will feature an outdoor entrance and drive-up window.

The Schenectady, N.Y.-based grocer will pour $61 million into 11 of its Capital Region stores as rivals such as ShopRite, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market set their sights on the area.

“Our goal here is to create a store by which all other stores will be judged,” Neil Golub, Price Chopper’s executive chairman, told the Albany Times Union. “Every seven to 10 years, we go back to the drawing board. In our industry, there are those who lead and those who follow. The followers see what you’re doing, and they try to replicate that.”

Besides the store features he was willing to disclose, Golub hinted in the article that there was more to come. “What I have shared with you is the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

Construction will start within the next couple of months, with the store remaining open throughout the process and the renovated site debuting next year. The store will also reportedly receive a new banner name, although Golub said it would include the phrase “by Price Chopper.”

The planned Latham store concept, which was researched by company officials for three years, will serve as a test center, with some of its features possibly being adopted by the Northeast regional chain’s other locations, according to Price Chopper president and CEO Jerry Golub. “It’s going to be a great way to test new ideas and to bring new ideas to our other stores,” he noted.

In addition to the Latham store renovation, the company plans to update other locations in the Capital Region and build at least two ground-up stores in the towns of Chatham and Watervliet.

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