Grocery Outlet is planning a new store for Fresno/Clovis in an empty drugstore

Grocery Outlet is planning a new location on the border of Clovis and northeast Fresno.

The popular discount grocery store has signed a lease to move into an empty Rite Aid store at Willow and Nees avenues, according to real estate company Retail California, and confirmed by the retailer and landlord John Lee of Fresno-based Lee Devco, LLC.

But it’s going to be a while before you can shop there.

Grocery Outlet projects the store will open in mid-2025.

The Rite Aid has been closed since 2022. The store is among several that have closed in recent years as the bankrupt pharmacy cuts costs. That includes stores at Bullard Avenue and First Street, and Cedar and Shields avenues.

The future Grocery Outlet is on a prominent corner on the border between Fresno and Clovis. It’s in front of Montecito Plaza, the shopping center that includes The Point Patio Bar & Bistro and across the street from Sonic Drive-In and 13 Prime Steak.

Grocery Outlet has converted drugstores into supermarkets before, a company representative noted. Work does not appear to have started yet on the 17,272-square-foot building.

What is Grocery Outlet?

The stores are typically owned and operated by local families, but one hasn’t been chosen yet for this location. The business usually employs 25 to 35 people per store.

Grocery Outlet has been steadily adding stores in recent years. When it opens, the store will be the sixth location in Fresno and Clovis.

The retailer sells basics such as milk and eggs that it sources like most other grocery stores.

But it’s most known for the foods and household items that it buys that are product overruns, or because the packaging is changing, or are otherwise discounted. Purchased at an extreme discount, the items — everything from cereal to snacks — are resold to customers at a discount.

Many stores are also known for their beer and wine departments, and sell locally made options.