The discount chain Aldi and the natural-foods store Sprouts Farmers Market are both opening next week in the greater Towson area, and Green Valley Marketplace plans to open this fall in Cockeysville.
The new stores give give shoppers even more choices in an area that already has a multitude of options — from Trader Joe’s to Giant to MOM’s Organic Market.
But are there enough customers in the area to support them all? Probably not, says Jeffery Metzger, publisher of the trade publication Food World, which covers the grocery industry in the mid-Atlantic region.
Sprouts in Towson
“From a consumer perspective it’s great because they’ll have more shopping options because of the quantity of stores and the variety of operating styles,” he said. “But it’s a challenging environment for retailers.”
Sprouts Farmers Market is set to open in the old hhgregg appliance store on Goucher Boulevard, near Chipotle and Home Goods, at 7AM on July 25. The Arizona-based chain offers “fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices” with produce, a deli with prepared entrees and side dishes, a butcher shop, fish market, a large selection of vitamins and supplements, and bulk foods.
At the grand opening, the first 200 shoppers will receive 20 percent off their initial total purchase; muffin and coffee samples will be served to everyone in line before the doors open; upon checkout, every 15th shopper will receive a coupon book featuring Sprouts savings; every customer will receive one free reusable bag with purchase.
Additionally, on July 28, the first 200 customers to make a purchase will receive a coupon booklet for five free deli items. And the next day, upon making a purchase, every 15th customer will receive a coupon for $5 off a purchase of more than $15 to use on their next visit.
Aldi in Timonium
Aldi, the German chain known for super-low prices and a no-frills shopping experience, opens at 8AM on July 26 at York and Ridgely roads in what used to be a Mars store. It will give gift cards ranging from $10 to $100 to the first 100 shoppers, and is offering a sweepstakes to win a year’s worth of produce. (If you go, be sure to bring a quarter; you’ll need it to access a shopping cart. And you’ll get it back when you return the cart.)
And a bit farther up York, on the southeast corner of Padonia Road, another old Mars will be transformed later this year: Green Valley Marketplace is taking over the location and plans to open in November. Green Valley is locally owned and has two other locations, in Elkridge and Arnold.
Of all the existing grocery stores in the area, Metzger said, it’s Fresh Market that is probably the most threatened.
The chain, whose local store is on Dulaney Valley Road across from Towson Town Center, announced recently that it’s closing 15 stores nationwide. The Towson store was not on the list, but it’s vulnerable, Metzger said, especially from the competition Sprouts will create.
Although MOM’s, like Sprouts, carries organic foods, Metzger said MOM’s has more of a niche market with a “very loyal and very ardent” customer base.
But all grocery stores, which typically have very narrow margins, are facing growing competition from the likes of Target and Walmart, whose grocery sections have expanded quite a bit in recent years. And, Metzger said, the millennial generation is not as loyal to store brands as old shoppers are.
Wegman’s in Hunt Valley is also popular among Towson shoppers who feel the store is worth the hike up 83.
And the arena could get even more crowded in the next couple of years when Towson Row opens. Originally Whole Foods was said to be one of the anchor tenants, but that is now up in the air. However, the developer, Greenberg Gibbons, said they hope to have a grocery store even if it’s not a Whole Foods.
Metzger said the growing number of grocery retailers in the Towson area is “a field day for consumers.”