"New" grocery concept in Wichita, KS

[jgm]

Our predominant local grocery chain, Dillons (owned by Kroger) is expanding its store at Central and Rock Road.

This particular location is already the place in town to find a wider variety of ingredients than other stores carry. It's where I go to buy certain fresh vegetables and herbs, canned cannelini beans, and other things that just aren't available in my neighborhood store. Now, they're adding another 30,000 square feet, for a total of 110,000.

The good news is that the food selections will increase:

New food sections will include a much larger selection of gourmet cheeses, produce and organic products. [su-Ella] McKinzie said there will be "more emphasis on freshness."

The not-so-good news is that other selections will also increase:

Other new merchandise will include furniture such as desks and dining room tables, and pictures, rugs, candles and lamps.

The story indicates this is a concept already being used in other states such as Michigan and Ohio.

I guess it remains to be seen whether the new store will carry a really nice variety of excellent food, or whether the "gourmet" offerings are just an attempt to turn the store into an upscale WalMart. They do occasionally offer things like end tables, etc., most of which is cheap crap very similar to that carried by WalMart.

It should be completed next spring. Stay tuned.

[moosnsqrl]

That's funny - I've been amused by the ever-increasing presence of patio furniture, grills, tiki torches and the like in the entryway to the Dillon's nearest us. I noticed a piece in the KC Star this morning talking about this initiative to attract WalMartians. I just can't imagine a time when I would drop by for a half-gallon of milk and buy something like that on-impulse and heaven knows I wouldn't plan to buy something like that from them - unless the quality improves over what I've seen to date. But when I look at the cookie-cutter, quickly (and presumably poorly) constructed subdivisions mushrooming up around that store, I can easily see someone moving in and, faced with an empty patio and friends on the way, dashing over and dropping a grand for a quick fix, plus some steaks to throw on the new grill. So they may know what they're doing after all.

I'm struggling to imagine life without cannelini beans less than 10 miles from home. Are you sure? Do they not carry [at least] Progresso products in your neighborhood Dillons? Che brutta figura!

[joiei]

jgm, have they finished the redo on this market yet? If so, is it anything like Cental Market in Texas? Did they improve the cheese selection, is there a ready made foods area, did they improve the quality of the vegetables? Did they improve the quality of the instore bakery? What grocery lines did they expand?

Curious minds are curious, I love a good grocery.

[jgm]

jgm,  have they finished the redo on this market yet?  If so, is it anything like Cental Market in Texas?  Did they improve the cheese selection,  is there a ready made foods area,  did they improve the quality of the vegetables?  Did they improve the quality of the instore bakery?    What grocery lines did they expand?

Curious minds are curious, I love a good grocery.

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It's still a work in progress. It looks huge.

But Judy, it does obscure the view of the Olive Garden!

A recent announcement indicates another such remodel is in the works for a store in the northeast part of the state, but I don't remember which city.

[jgm]

That's funny - I've been amused by the ever-increasing presence of patio furniture, grills, tiki torches and the like in the entryway to the Dillon's nearest us.  I noticed a piece in the KC Star this morning talking about this initiative to attract WalMartians.  I just can't imagine a time when I would drop by for a half-gallon of milk and buy something like that on-impulse and heaven knows I wouldn't plan to buy something like that from them - unless the quality improves over what I've seen to date.  But when I look at the cookie-cutter, quickly (and presumably poorly) constructed subdivisions mushrooming up around that store, I can easily see someone moving in and, faced with an empty patio and friends on the way, dashing over and dropping a grand for a quick fix, plus some steaks to throw on the new grill.  So they may know what they're doing after all.

I'm struggling to imagine life without cannelini beans less than 10 miles from home.  Are you sure?  Do they not carry [at least] Progresso products in your neighborhood Dillons?  Che brutta figura!

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Like you, I can't imagine getting furniture, etc. from a grocery store. They've had expensive TV's, which do sell (slowly), and I've never been able to figure that one out.

There are a lot of things that aren't available within 10 miles of my home. I've recently dusted off (literally) my bread machine and am experimenting with recipes, so that I can have decent bread for toast and sandwiches, without having to dash to Picadilly on my lunch hour. They're tearing up Central for construction, so that dash won't truly be a dash for several more months. I doubt I'll come up with anything even close to Picadilly's French, but something better than Sara Lee would be a godsend.

The local Dillons does carry Progresso products, but not all of them. I bought 5 cans the last time I was in the store at Central and Rock. Too bad bread doesn't keep that well!

Recently, I've had a difficult time buying leeks at either of the stores in my area. There are times when I can't find red onions and other basic stuff. It's frustrating.

[moosnsqrl]

But Judy, it does obscure the view of the Olive Garden!     

A recent announcement indicates another such remodel is in the works for a store in the northeast part of the state, but I don't remember which city.

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Bummer about your view - I bet you can still smell the soup from there though

Something tells me it's one of the Lawrence Dillons. The ones in the KC 'burbs are fairly new and fairly large and, as I mentioned, already offer patio furniture, although I don't believe I've ever seen a TV there. Yet.

No leeks? No red onions? That's inhumane! I'm going to have to start an alliums for Wichitans camapaign.

BTW, not entirely related but probably not worth an entire new thread, the Green Acres here is set to open next month, I believe. I noticed they're staffing-up. I'll be most interested to see how that turns out, how their pricing is vs. Whole Foods, if they work with locals more, etc.

[bbqboy]

Fred Meyer has been a staple in the NW for many years. Kroger bought them a few years ago

in order to gain their expertise in these Mixed Stores. It should be quite a bit more enjoyable than a WallyMart.

It's a joy to have one stop shopping, & buy some cheese, some potting soil, and a DVD at the same checkout.

http://www.fredmeyer.com/homepage/index.htm

My guess is they won't rebadge the stores in different areas of the Country, but they're essentially the same stores.

Edited September 29, 2006 by bbqboy (log)

[moosnsqrl]

Fred Meyer has been a staple in the NW for many years. Kroger bought them a few years ago

in order to gain their expertise in these Mixed Stores. It should be quite a bit more enjoyable than a WallyMart.

It's a joy to have one stop shopping, & buy some cheese, some potting soil, and a DVD at the same checkout.

  http://www.fredmeyer.com/homepage/index.htm

My guess is they won't rebadge the stores in different areas of the Country, but they're essentially the same stores.

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Interesting. If I had stumbled upon their website outside the context of this thread, I would never have considered it a grocery store of any sort. Their "Kitchen Help" link leads to a recipe and mention of frozen food and party trays but with no tab or link actually labeled "grocery," either across the top or down the left, it looks more like a discount department store which, I guess is the point. How much of their typical footprint is devoted to groceries vs. non-food items?

And I'm a little curious what you do with cheese, potting soil and a DVD but it seems too personal to ask here

[joiei]

Fred Meyer has been a staple in the NW for many years. Kroger bought them a few years ago

in order to gain their expertise in these Mixed Stores. It should be quite a bit more enjoyable than a WallyMart.

It's a joy to have one stop shopping, & buy some cheese, some potting soil, and a DVD at the same checkout.

  http://www.fredmeyer.com/homepage/index.htm

My guess is they won't rebadge the stores in different areas of the Country, but they're essentially the same stores.

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Interesting. If I had stumbled upon their website outside the context of this thread, I would never have considered it a grocery store of any sort. Their "Kitchen Help" link leads to a recipe and mention of frozen food and party trays but with no tab or link actually labeled "grocery," either across the top or down the left, it looks more like a discount department store which, I guess is the point. How much of their typical footprint is devoted to groceries vs. non-food items?

And I'm a little curious what you do with cheese, potting soil and a DVD but it seems too personal to ask here

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Judy, you don't know Fred's, Oh my. My Fred's was the one in North Portland until I moved to the mountain and then the one in Gresham became my Fred's. When I moved away from the PNW, it took a time of withdrawal before I got over not having a Fred's somewhere close by. And they carried everything, with a much better mix than any superwalmart I have ever seen. I wonder if that is where walmart got the idea of being an everything store. If I am not wrong, didn't Fred's also have their own bank instore. That and GI Joes and the Nordstroms clearance closet and you were all set.

[ulterior epicure]

That and GI Joes and the Nordstroms clearance closet and you were all set.

[jgm]

We're getting closer to finding out just what this thing is going to be. I was in this store this morning, and they have opened up the new area, but it's got the same old stuff in it. However, there is a really large section in the middle that is walled off with hanging plastic, and appears to be undergoing renovation now that its former contents have been moved into the new part.

So far, nothing indicates this will be anything interesting, much less spectacular.

I'll keep y'all posted.

[jgm]

Most of the store is completed, and I am happy. There's still a section that's being worked on, but what I saw last night will do just fine.

First of all, there's a nice selection of imported cheese. Since I'm not highly familiar with such things, I can't remember many names, but most of them were things I've never heard of before, so I think that's a good sign. I'll have to grab my copy of "Chocolate and Zucchini" and see if they have any of the varieties mentioned in there.

I also found the brand of San Marzano tomatoes I like, and at half the price that I'd been paying at another store!

I also found a lot of prepared foods that I don't really care about; there are some frozen soups in the freezer case I've not seen before. I don't see myself buying frozen soup much, but every now and then it's nice to know about such things in case I need to pick up lunch or dinner in a hurry.

Could this be a twinkle of hope that some decent cheeses might be available here? Dare we hope for even more?

[moosnsqrl]

Most of the store is completed, and I am happy.  There's still a section that's being worked on, but what I saw last night will do just fine.

First of all, there's a nice selection of imported cheese.  Since I'm not highly familiar with such things, I can't remember many names, but most of them were things I've never heard of before, so I think that's a good sign.    I'll have to grab my copy of "Chocolate and Zucchini" and see if they have any of the varieties mentioned in there.

I also found the brand of San Marzano tomatoes I like, and at half the price that I'd been paying at another store! 

I also found a lot of prepared foods that I don't really care about; there are some frozen soups in the freezer case I've not seen before.  I don't see myself buying frozen soup much, but every now and then it's nice to know about such things in case I need to pick up lunch or dinner in a hurry.

Could this be a twinkle of hope that some decent cheeses might be available here?  Dare we hope for even more?

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And I am SO happy for you. I know the frustration you must have to deal with, being enlightened but fettered. Honestly I would not have lived through adolescence had Larcher's not been there. Wichita is truly a sad place in its absence. I'm glad to see things improving. And good for Dillon's (/Krogers, now) for promising to go back into Greensburg and rebuild, post-tornado. I have a feeling most of the folks on here would be stunned at the lack of choices for groceries in our neck of the woods, even in the metro areas. Every time I read or hear someone say "go to your fish monger" I just roll my eyes and hope.

I try to take consolation in the fact that Heritage Foods meat is processed less than an hour from here and I can actually drive up and fill my cooler with it, thus avoiding express costs.

[MarketStEl]

How many years have the five Dillons stores in the Kansas City exurbs been open? (There were no street addresses beginning with "222xx" when I lived there. )

Dillons was strictly a small-town chain in my youth.

Trivia: These stores mark the return of the Kroger Company to the Kansas City market. Kroger had been one of the area's major chains for several decades -- I still remember their ads touting "4,197 Everyday Low Prices!" -- until 1973, when they abandoned Kansas City and several other (unionized) markets in the Midwest and shifted their focus to the (non-union) Southeast.

Demerits to Kroger for not at least trying to tailor the images on their Web site to the regional brand.

I also see the chain has a store in Missouri now, in Pleasant Hill. I guess this is just the first of many to come.

[jgm]

Today's Wichita Eagle says that this concept is working so well, they're going to expand it to two more stores... one of them in MY neighborhood! The latest announcement is for the 31st and Seneca store:

It will include many of the same elements featured in Dillons' expanded Marketplace concept, which adds department-store style shopping areas and items.

Featured will be upgraded grocery departments, a specialty kitchen and beauty center, a Starbucks, a sushi bar, gourmet cheese and olive bars, international, organic and specialty foods and an expanded pharmacy.

Well, gee, this should be an interesting change. Only in recent months have canned cannelini beans been available, and when I ask the produce guys why they don't carry shallots, they get defensive and tell me I can use scallions instead. I know I shouldn't be rude to the young'uns; after all, they're not making that decision. But sometimes it's just all too much.

Scallions, my ass.

So now we're going from not even being able to buy shallots, to having imported (expensive) cheeses available, not to mention sushi and 'gourmet' olives... in a blue-collar neighborhood inhabited primarily by aircraft plant workers? (My husband is one of them, so I'm not putting them down.) I'm just saying that this is a little incongruous, and it'll be dammed interesting to see how it goes.

Wonder if they'll carry shallots in the new store?

[Kent D]

Today's Wichita Eagle says that this concept is working so well, they're going to expand it to two more stores... one of them in MY neighborhood!  The latest announcement is for the 31st and Seneca store:

It will include many of the same elements featured in Dillons' expanded Marketplace concept, which adds department-store style shopping areas and items.

Featured will be upgraded grocery departments, a specialty kitchen and beauty center, a Starbucks, a sushi bar, gourmet cheese and olive bars, international, organic and specialty foods and an expanded pharmacy.

Well, gee, this should be an interesting change. Only in recent months have canned cannelini beans been available, and when I ask the produce guys why they don't carry shallots, they get defensive and tell me I can use scallions instead. I know I shouldn't be rude to the young'uns; after all, they're not making that decision. But sometimes it's just all too much.

Scallions, my ass.

So now we're going from not even being able to buy shallots, to having imported (expensive) cheeses available, not to mention sushi and 'gourmet' olives... in a blue-collar neighborhood inhabited primarily by aircraft plant workers? (My husband is one of them, so I'm not putting them down.) I'm just saying that this is a little incongruous, and it'll be dammed interesting to see how it goes.

Wonder if they'll carry shallots in the new store?

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My wife was wondering why the last time she went into that Dillons to rent a video they were closing the video rental section.

I can't wait -- now when I drive down Seneca to drop off my recyclables and fill the gas tank, I can run in and buy some new and stinky cheeses...and home furnishings. I may have to change grocery stores, as the one at 13th & West will NEVER go to Marketplace.

[jgm]

I have to fess up. . .

When we were in the Marketplace at Central and Rock this last weekend, we actually bought two pieces of furniture.

They're what I'd call "dorm furniture". They're bookcases with fold-down shelves (as opposed to those heavy particle board things you have to screw together). The explanation: we're building a house in another year or so, but meanwhile we need some storage space for DVDs and books, and these are easy, quick, and cheap. We didn't want to get "nice" furniture until we're in the new house and can see what we need. I doubt we'll buy furniture for the new house in Dillons, though.