Price Chopper Reveals Market Bistro Concept

Market Bistro by Price Chopper is what the Schenectady, N.Y.-based supermarket chain is calling its new concept store, according to a published report. The 77,000-square-foot Latham, N.Y., location, which represents a $10 million-plus investment, underwent about 10 months of extensive renovations that added another 10,000 square feet of space, during which it remained open.

“This is probably our biggest investment ever in a store,” Price Chopper executive board chairman Neil Golub noted on a media tour of the location that featured stops at an in-store Ben & Bill’s New York Style Deli and a stone-fired pizza counter.

Golub told The Albany Business Review that work on the store was expected to finish by year-end, describing the project as “right on schedule” and “on budget.”

According to Golub, “We’ll be on par with Wegmans, and superior in some things we’re doing.” The publication noted that the rival Rochester, N.Y.-based chain currently has no stores in the Albany region.

As well as taking advantage of the amenities on show during the store tour, shoppers can purchase 16 made-to-order food items, buy vine-ripened tomatoes grown in a hydroponic garden, and take cooking lessons. Over the past year, Price Chopper hired eight more people to work on the store’s culinary staff to prepare more than 1,000 recipes for the location’s “Bistro boulevard” section.

Additionally, the pharmacy now has a drive-thru, and health-and-wellness programs will expand under a partnership with Schenectady-based Ellis Hospital that will offer blood pressure screenings and an in-store nurse practitioner, among other features.

The prototype store will also serve as a testing ground for new concepts, added CEO Jerry Golub.