WILD BY NATURE OPENS SECOND UNIT ON LONG ISLAND

SARAH MULHOLLAND

BETHPAGE, N.Y. -- Wild by Nature, an independent subsidiary of King Kullen here, has opened a second store on Long Island. Traditional retailers can take a page from the health food market and the emphasis on "clean ingredients" in the Center Store.

SN visited the new 26,000-square-foot unit in Huntington Village and noted the absence of center aisle stalwarts like Cheerios and Ragu. In their stead, the store offers all natural and organic alternatives such as Mother's Peanutbutter Bumpers Cereal and Muir Glen tomato sauce.

According to Mary Beth Catapano, public relations manager for the chain, people come to the store looking for the purest ingredients, and the large national brands are not a draw for those consumers.

Catapano pointed out the inconvenience of lengthy labels for the consumer who may have allergies or other health-related reasons for paying close attention to ingredients.

"We don't want people to have to read labels in the grocery aisles," she explained. "When customers pick up a boxed or canned item in our store, they can remember what's in the product with a glance."

Catapano has high expectations for the Huntington store, and for the future of the natural foods market in general.

"Consumers are ready. They're educated and they know what's best for them," she concluded.