Looking for Innovative Solutions for Urban Grocery Stores?

ICSC attendee discusses the ever-evolving retail market as grocery stores adapt to fit urban spaces, citing examples of adaptive re-use opportunities.

LAS VEGAS—The retail market has undergone significant changes in recent years, especially in the grocery segment. So says Terry Todd, associate principal at RDC, who tells GlobeSt.com that the focus has shifted to developing innovative solutions for grocery stores in urban areas where large plots of land are scarce.

One of the most exciting projects RDC has worked on is with Erewhon, an ultrahigh-end health food store that has gained tremendous popularity in the greater Los Angeles area, he notes. To create a grocery store in tight spaces, RDC transforms these urban locations with bright produce displays, pizza ovens, and places to sit, relax, eat, and gather. The company works with cities to acquire extra sidewalk space for seating and effective parking solutions for these urban store locations.

Urban markets often offer opportunities to develop in existing centers due to the absence of raw undeveloped land, adds Todd. As a result, he says, grocery stores are getting smaller, with some of the newer retailers having spaces in the 10,000-20,000 square feet range. Aldi, the Germany-based retailer, is actively pursuing opportunities to repurpose larger anchor buildings in desirable locations, seeking out sites for adaptive re-use.

RDC is one of the many companies here at the massive ICSC Las Vegas conference, and Todd explains that actual store locations that RDC has worked with recently include a former Sears space attached to a mall and a former bowling alley. To evaluate the condition of the space and confirm the scope of work, thoughtful investigation and destructive testing are often required, he notes. With technological advances in laser scanning, architects can now scan the entire building and generate a 3D model of the existing structure to use for the renovation.

With the advancement of Building Information Modeling technology, architects can provide a greater degree of coordination between professional disciplines needed on the renovation project. By providing a high level of investigation and development of the 3-dimensional model, architects can now address a greater number of potential conflicts than they could previously with 2-dimensional CAD software. He also explains that the retail market is continually evolving, with grocery stores adapting to fit into tighter urban spaces. Certain retailers such as Erewhon and Aldi are leading the way with innovative solutions and adaptive re-use.

Stay tuned for more coverage from ICSC Las Vegas as we talk to attendees, cover panels and more. Also, check out the related stories already posted below:

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