The grocer broke ground on its first location June 23 at 2500 Terra Crossing Blvd. Publix has been making headway on three Kentucky stores since September. Neumann said there will be at least one group that this new competition will be sure to benefit - the consumer.Ĭompetition in the grocery market is heating up, so let’s meet some of the players. With multiple new stores, people are curious what these new companies will bring to Louisville and how current operators will respond to them. The four new grocery stores announced along Louisville’s perimeter are bound to have an impact on their neighborhoods for years to come. In addition to that, grocery stores have the power to change shopping centers and traffic patterns. The increased competition could mean local consumers will see some relief from those rising prices. The timing should be welcomed, as grocery prices were up roughly 10% in April compared to a year ago, according to the U.S. Just like in 1997, the numbers could be shifting soon as two out-of-state grocery chains announced expansions into the Louisville market: Florida-based Publix Super Market Inc. Next closest is Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart Stores Inc., with 16 stores and 23% of the market share, followed by Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer Inc. owns 43% of the local grocery market share, with 43 stores in the area, according to Tampa, Florida-based retail data provider Chain Store Guide (CSG). “To give Kroger credit, they held about a 50% market share, and they still do today.” “It was purely a war zone in the grocery business, and that was kind of the first time we saw some major entrants come into our market, and both came in pretty aggressively,” Neumann continued. Those players still exist in the market today, but one grocery giant has continued to persist as the first choice for many Louisvillians: The Kroger Co.(NYSE: KR), based nearby in Cincinnati. “It was the first time those two faced each other in the country.” “In about ’97, the first Walmart and Meijer were built in Louisville, and this was the first time we had any super centers,” Neumann said. From Meijer to Winn Dixie and Fresh Thyme to Walmart, he’s witnessed first-hand how the grocery landscape has changed and how each of those large chains have influenced the market. James Neumann has been watching Louisville’s grocery market ebb and flow for over 30 years.Īs the president of local chain ValuMarket, which opened its first store in 1978 under the ownership of his father, he’s been around to see the large competitors enter and exit the city. There's a battle brewing for market share in Louisville
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