UPSCALE FARE

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

WEST LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Ralphs Grocery Co. is making a bid for upscale consumers with a new store format called Fresh Fare.

The concept, which as reported, was unveiled at a remodeled store here two weeks ago, is designed for existing stores under 35,000 square feet in affluent areas of southern California.

It incorporates a broader variety of perishables and more specialty lines of packaged goods with more typical supermarket offerings in all categories, designed to appeal to shoppers in all demographic groups, Sam Duncan, president of Compton, Calif-based Ralphs, told SN.

"Fresh Fare is unique in so many ways," Duncan said. "The decor and the ambience are unlike anything else we offer, and the itemization is quite different, incorporating a lot of gourmet products along with a lot of nonfood offerings that are exclusive to these stores -- products that are not carried by other supermarkets."

Duncan said the Fresh Fare store here carries approximately 45,000 stock-keeping units, compared with 40,000 SKU's at a typical Ralphs. He said the company expects the Fresh Fare here to experience a sales jump of 30 to 35% over what it did before the new format was introduced.

Leading SN on a tour through the store, Duncan pointed out the unique decor package, which includes ceramic tan wall tiles in the service deli, copper gooseneck lamps above several perishables departments and a pressed copper ceiling in the liquor alcove; There's also a large copper hood over the service deli oven, green shutters with an eggplant trim over the produce section, painted copper shelving on the grocery gondolas and antique wood end fixtures.

The store also features marble statues and flower arrangements on top of various island displays.

Customers entering on the right side of the store step into the service deli, where they're greeted by two giant wheels of gourmet cheese -- available for sampling or to buy in bulk pieces. The cheese wheels are at one end of an island display featuring 80 SKU's of cheese -- about 30 more than what's found at a typical Ralphs, Duncan said.

On a shelf atop the island display are bottled oils and vinegars from Holland, priced from $7.99 for a small jar of mixed peppers to $39.99 for a large decanter of balsamic vinegar or olive oil with herbs.

To the right of the store's entrance is an in-wall display of presliced meats and sliced, grated and shredded cheeses, plus specialty salads, focaccia sandwiches and roasted vegetables -- a preview of Fresh Fare's large variety of home-meal replacement offerings, Duncan pointed out.

The service deli counter features a sandwich center, which offers 175 made-to-order specialty sandwiches, plus a service case featuring a selection of meats and cheese for slicing, including the Madrage line of ham from France, "which is starting to build some recognition in this area," Duncan said, and the Columbus Renaissance line of quality processed meats from San Francisco.

The case also features premade specialty sandwiches, chosen from among "two or three dozen" the store will offer, Duncan said; and 12 to 16 HMR items "that we'll rotate to keep the assortment fresh," he added, including caper-encrusted swordfish, chicken parmesan, beef Wellington, poached salmon and stuffed tomatoes.

Fresh Fare also offers the chain's first meal-of-the-day program, priced at $6.99 for individual meals or $19.99-24.99 for meals that feed four adults. Among the menus for the first week: chicken parmesan with mixed vegetables, bow-tie pasta and marinara sauce; sweet bourbon-marinated tri-tip with garlic roasted potatoes and carrots, and baby back ribs with garlic roasted potatoes and corn medley.

The service bakery adjacent to the deli features expanded lines of specialty cakes, pastries and individual desserts, plus new lines of cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and Danish, Duncan noted.

Opposite the bakery is a nutrition center of 200 running feet on two sides of a 64-foot gondola, which is designed for all Ralphs formats, Duncan said. The section is based on similar offerings at Fred Meyer, Inc., Portland, Ore., Ralphs' parent company.

The service seafood department on the back wall of the store features expanded selections of product -- an increase of about 25%, Duncan said -- displayed on ice, including Atlantic salmon from Scotland "and more whole fish than other Ralphs stores," he added.

Adjacent to the service seafood case at Fresh Fare is a sushi bar, which is found in many Ralphs stores, Duncan pointed out. The store also features a service meat case, which Ralphs has at only a handful of other units, Duncan said.

In the self-service meat case on the rear wall, Fresh Fare offers a variety of Chef-to-Go uncooked HMR items, available at only a handful of Ralphs locations, Duncan said, but offered in an expanded variety here.

The department handles only United States Department of Agriculture choice meats, plus expanded selections of lamb and veal and Zacky Farms chicken, he added.

The frozen food section in front of the meat department is "standard," Duncan said.

The liquor alcove on the store's back wall has expanded space to accommodate 215 SKU's of wine, including a wide assortment of premium varietals, by eliminating jug and boxed wines to make more room for premium varietals, Duncan said.

Fresh Fare also added 47 varieties of spirits, including single malt Scotches, cognacs, tequila and vodkas, plus microbrews, he pointed out.

At the rear of the alcove are large 3.5 liter bottles of premium varietals that sell for $100 to $300 each, Duncan said -- including some bottles with etched labels. Situated next to the displays of the large bottles is the store's wine steward, who passes out personalized cards so consumers can call him with questions.

After passing through the dairy section on the store's left wall, the consumer enters the produce section -- 96 linear feet of wet and dry multideck cases, plus two 28-foot dry tables and two 16-foot dry tables.

According to Duncan, the department carries more than 400 SKU's of produce from 16 countries, compared with about 350 SKU's at a typical Ralphs.

The section encompasses about 100 organic items -- double what the typical Ralphs sells, Duncan said -- in a 12-foot, four-deck section, plus the chain's first multideck display of specialty and ethnic produce in baskets.

The floral department at Fresh Fare adds about 25% to the chain's usual product assortment, including single-stem flowers, gift items, glassware, tropical flowers and custom arrangements -- all with a floral delivery service, which will be standard fare at Fresh Fare, Duncan said.

According to Tom Dahlen, senior vice president, marketing, for Ralphs, the center of the Fresh Fare store features specialty products like Ghirardelli coffee, Carr's crackers and Eddie's organic pasta at eye level "to showcase the store's variety, with commodity products readily available but played down in terms of presentation on the grocery shelves.

The store co-mingles groceries with a variety of upscale items "that normally can't be sold in supermarkets and are available only to specialty stores," Dahlen said, such as Joyce Chen cookware.