Dive Brief:
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Fareway Stores will open a 6,500 square foot full-service butchery in Lincoln, NE this fall, according to The Shelby Report. This will be the second specialty meat market for the grocery chain.
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The store concept centers on the company's commitment to provide its shoppers with "the best in fresh, high-quality meat, with full-service counters," according to a statement from the store in The Shelby Report.
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“Our Fareway Meat Market offers a new experience when customers think of Fareway. We complement our unmatched, full-service meat department by offering an expanded seafood section, artisan cheeses, high-quality wines and craft beers, as well as other unique items,” Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer told the trade publication.
Dive Insight:
This store concept touches on an interesting trend in the grocery space. In the past, many retailers focused on providing more than their competitors: more product variety, more in-store amenities and more square footage. Today, grocers are beginning to take a lesson from the success of smaller format retailers like Lidl and Aldi: less is better, and too much choice is too much.
Fareway's specialty meat store is more reminiscent of European-style grocery shopping — where consumers go to different store locations for their meat, bread and dairy items — than the one-stop shop that most American supermarkets chain aim to be.
This format could steal market share from other grocers' meat departments simply because it appears to be more premium. Still, this meat market is hardly a "pure" specialty store. It still offers seafood, artisan cheeses and premium wine and craft beers. This limited variety is likely to appeal to shoppers, however, as Aldi's similar offerings (albeit, less premium) have performed well with consumers.
In a food industry that has been greatly shaped by consumer distrust of red meat and confidence in plant-based protein alternatives, it will be interesting to see how a meat-focused store will perform. Several meat producers have displayed confidence in the meat segment through specialty product and even brand launches, such as Tyson's Chairman's Reserve Prime Pork line.