Grocery Outlet Bargain Market comes to area, touts 'extreme value' deals

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, an “extreme value” retailer said it will open its second Ohio location in Clermont County's Union Township on June 20.

Based in Emeryville, California, a suburb of Oakland, the chain sells name-brand products and fresh foods through a network of independently operated stores. The company touts its flexible buying model, in which it acquires excess inventory and seasonal closeouts from product manufacturers. Such product sourcing allows the retailer to sell brand items at prices generally 40% to 70% below conventional grocers, the company said.

The new store will be at 650 Eastgate South Drive. Its store hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

What is Grocery Outlet Bargain Market?

Company officials say their format appeals to "bargain-minded" shoppers, which have abounded amid soaring food inflation in recent years.

“We are so thrilled to be a part of the Cincinnati community allowing us to provide our neighbors with significant savings on quality groceries,” said Matt Alicea the new store’s independent operator, in a statement.

Most of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market’s more than 500 stores are in California, Washington and Oregon, but it has expanded rapidly in the Mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. Last year, it opened its first Midwestern store in suburban Youngstown in Boardman, Ohio.

Stores are smaller than other supermarkets

On April 1, the company acquired a competitor, United Grocery Outlet, with 40 locations in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia. Beyond the newly-acquired stores, the company said it plans to open another 18 to 22 stores this year.

Averaging about 14,000 square feet, Grocery Outlet Bargain Markets are about the size of a typical drug store – and about one-sixth the size of a typical Kroger in a suburban strip mall. But besides constantly rotating discounted items, the stores offer competitively priced everyday staples: groceries, produce, refrigerated and frozen foods, beer and wine, fresh meat and seafood, general merchandise and health and beauty care.

Last year, the company did $4 billion in sales, up 10.9% from the previous year, according to its annual report. Comparable store sales, which exclude results from the net 27 new stores added last year, climbed 7.5%.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market opens in Union Township, Clermont County