‘Customer demand’ drives ShopRite’s locally sourced expansion

ShopRite is doubling down on its arsenal of locally procured options.

The store’s Locally Grown program includes farm-raised beef, seafood, fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, honey, craft beer and roasted coffees.

Last month, ShopRite announced that the grocer would be expanding its group of nearby providers.

Roger Savoia, VP of meat, said that “customer demand” was the catalyst for the growth.

“We know our customers want locally sourced foods and we are providing those products across all our store aisles,” he said.

“We are rolling out new Farm Promise meats in stores right now, and the customer response so far has been great. Customers appreciate the fact that they can shop local in the meat department.”

The Farm Promise division of the locally sourced effort is described by the store as an “extensive line” of beef and pork offerings that come from local farms. The meat is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

“ShopRite is proud to partner with family farms like Triple C Farm in Woodstown, N.J., to bring our new line of Farm Promise products to our stores,” said Savoia via statement. “Many of our ShopRite stores are family-owned and operated, and our member owners know their communities and their neighbors. Partnering with local business, farmers and families to get the best products for our customers is important to us.”

Despite the focus on local, Savoia said that the retailer hasn’t trimmed down its other butcher shop offerings and will “continue to provide a wide selection and variety of meat” in the ShopRite network of stores.

“ShopRite has been partnering with local farmers since our inception almost 70 years ago,” Derrick Jenkins, VP of produce and floral said in a statement. “But more than ever, we are meeting increased customer demand for locally sourced products by working hand-in-hand with local entrepreneurs, family farms and businesses to procure and sell products that have been locally grown.”

Referring to ShopRite’s territory, a stretch of 270 stores throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, Jenkins told SN that there is an abundance of “hyper-local growers all over this region.”

ShopRite is owned by Wakefern Food Corp, a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, N.J.