Safeway Unveils Prototype Lifestyle Store in Boulder, Colo.
PLEASANTON, Calif. -- In a bid to better compete with such operators as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, Safeway today marks the grand opening of its redesigned Lifestyle Store in Wild Oat's hometown of Boulder, Colo., rolling out a shopping concept that highlights thousands of organic and natural items, new expanded perishable departments, and such special features as a fresh sushi bar and an interactive culinary center where chefs will run cooking demonstrations and customers can buy cookbooks and kitchenware.
According to Safeway, the store's new design is unique among the company's 1,800 supermarkets in the United States and Canada.
"We've built upon the appeal of our traditional Lifestyle format to create a shopping experience that places a strong emphasis on organic, natural, and fresh," said Scott Grimmett, president of Safeway's Denver Division. "Our Lifestyle concept provides us with a great degree of flexibility to tailor our facilities, product offerings, and services to individual neighborhoods and communities. While the overall concept is uniquely Boulder, we'll be looking at the many individual components that comprise that shopping experience to see which might make sense in other store locations across the company."
Among the other amenities at the new Safeway Lifestyle Store are a full-service nut bar with a wide selection of warm, ready-to-eat nuts flavored on site; a full-service floral kiosk with fresh-cut flowers, custom arrangements, and potted plants; an open-flame hearth oven bakery offering fresh-baked European-style artisan breads; a walk-around full-service bakery kiosk where customers can flavor cream puffs with a variety of fillings, select a warm cinnamon bun with their choice of toppings, and toast bagels; in-store Jamba Juice and Starbucks; and heated and misted patio seating across the front of the supermarket.
As part of the grand opening celebration, Safeway is donating $10,000 to local organization Community Food Share, with which the retailer has a long-standing relationship.
According to Safeway, the store's new design is unique among the company's 1,800 supermarkets in the United States and Canada.
"We've built upon the appeal of our traditional Lifestyle format to create a shopping experience that places a strong emphasis on organic, natural, and fresh," said Scott Grimmett, president of Safeway's Denver Division. "Our Lifestyle concept provides us with a great degree of flexibility to tailor our facilities, product offerings, and services to individual neighborhoods and communities. While the overall concept is uniquely Boulder, we'll be looking at the many individual components that comprise that shopping experience to see which might make sense in other store locations across the company."
Among the other amenities at the new Safeway Lifestyle Store are a full-service nut bar with a wide selection of warm, ready-to-eat nuts flavored on site; a full-service floral kiosk with fresh-cut flowers, custom arrangements, and potted plants; an open-flame hearth oven bakery offering fresh-baked European-style artisan breads; a walk-around full-service bakery kiosk where customers can flavor cream puffs with a variety of fillings, select a warm cinnamon bun with their choice of toppings, and toast bagels; in-store Jamba Juice and Starbucks; and heated and misted patio seating across the front of the supermarket.
As part of the grand opening celebration, Safeway is donating $10,000 to local organization Community Food Share, with which the retailer has a long-standing relationship.