Grocery openings pick up in October

Grocery retailers picked up the expansion pace in October, as many try to meet their growth goals by the end of the year.

Winsight Grocery Business, in its unscientific monthly tally of grand openings, counted 27 new stores during the month. Fast-growing Aldi, frequently a leader in monthly openings, led the way again with six new locations.

October’s new grocery openings, though, were largely spread out among a variety of retailers. Both H-E-B and Natural Grocers opened two stores during the month, but there were a lot of one-off openings from retailers such as Wegmans, Publix and Sprouts Farmers Market.

In September, WGB tracked just 17 new grocery openings, just under the 20 openings noted in August but nearly double the nine stores launched in July.

WGB counted 25 new store openings in May and June, 14 in April and 40 grand openings in March.

Read all of WGB’s new store coverage here.

Have a new store opening announcement? Please send it to WGB Editor-in-Chief Heather Lalley at [email protected].