EXCLUSIVE: What Does the Viral ‘Grocery Tourism’ Trend Mean for Local Retailers?
Stores that carry a range of local products can promote them effectively, especially at time of the year when tourism is high. “Save A Lot has a hyper-focused strategy on being specific to areas we serve and we hold a lot of vendor relationships very tight. The ability for suppliers or retailers to tell a story today, especially through social media, is better than it’ s ever been,” pointed out Koontz.
Hottovy agreed that grocers can and have leveraged opportunities to capitalize on novel shopping experiences. “While value has been a motivating factor for many shoppers this year, we're also seeing consumers prioritize uniqueness. Some markets do it better than others, but it did seem like local products made a comeback at tourist grocery stores, particularly in the beverage category,” he reported. “Several grocery stores we saw during travel this summer featured a larger-than-average assortment of local beverages--both alcoholic and nonalcoholic--showcasing local brands as consumers seek out unique brands that can only be found in certain tourist markets.”
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Perhaps not surprisingly, those in this business enjoy popping in other grocery stores when they are out of town. “I think a lot of us in the industry haven labeled as weird by family members when we want to do that on vacation,” joked Koontz. “But for me, it’s an opportunity capture what good operators are doing and not just from a product assortment basis, but also from an operational standpoint.”
Mary Moorkamp, chief legal and external affairs officer at Schnuck Markets, Inc., shared some of her experiences with Progressive Grocer, too. “Grocery tourism is a family event and every vacation involves visits to grocers – new ones we’ve never seen and familiar ones we’ve visited often. My kids do it also and it was a particularly proud moment when my daughter was in New York for a track meet and called me saying, ‘You’ll never guess where I am and what I introduced my friends to… Wegmans!’ We’ve visited different Wegmans over the years as we’ve taken family trips to states in which they operate. We particularly love the brownies with icing and just about everything else they sell,” she shared.
Discovery is also enhancing education from a broader point of view. “I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at international stores and chains, too, and have seen how European formats have been selling. You can get a lot of products specific to those regions as well,” Koontz noted.
Founded in 1977, Save a Lot services more than 800 stores in 32 states. The St. Ann, Mo.-based company is No. 58 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company among its Best Independent Grocers of 2024. Meanwhile, St. Louis-based Schnucks operates 114 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and employs nearly 12,000 associates. The company is No. 65 on The PG 100. PG also named the company a Top Regional Grocer.