Schnucks to Open Third Columbia, Mo., Store March 23

St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets plans to open its 112th store—and its third in Columbia, Mo.—at 7 a.m. on March 23.  

The 48,000-square-foot leased store, located at 5410 Clark Lane in Columbia, will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily. It will feature an expanded selection of hot prepared foods and grab-and-go items as well as an indoor seating section and a "Fresh Pour" drinks area offering coffee and tea, smoothies, soft drinks and beer and wine.

The store will also have a "heavy focus" on fresh departments, including produce, meat, seafood, deli and bakery, Schnucks said in a news release. Late last year, a survey from FMI–The Food Industry Association and Deloitte found that the fresh department ranked as a top strategic priority for retailers for growing sales in 2022. More than 80% of respondents said they planned to add more floor space in fresh, expand their fresh product assortment and/or add more fresh-department staff.

"We're excited to create a store that [customers] will be able to quickly and easily navigate while finding an extensive selection of the fresh products for which we're known," Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck said in a statement. 

The Battle Crossing store will employ approximately 70 full- and part-time workers, the company stated, adding that hiring is underway for department-manager as well as part-time hourly associate positions. Chuck Murphy, who has served as manager of the EatWell, a Natural Food Store by Schnucks, location in Columbia, will move over to manage the Battle Crossing Schnucks. The store will offer curbside pickup and delivery in partnership with Instacart.