Grocery Outlet readies pair of new stores for East and West Coasts

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market is readying for more stores on both the East and West Coasts this month.

The fast-growing Emeryville, California-based discount grocer plans to open two new stores, in California and Maryland, on June 15.

The new California location will be at 1650 Highway 46 in Wasco, located in Kern County just northwest of Bakersfield. The store will bring 30 new jobs into the community.

“We are so thrilled to be a part of the Wasco community and provide some relief with big savings on quality groceries,” independent owner-operators James Sauco and Amor Regis said in a statement. “This partnership with Grocery Outlet gives us the ability to grow our business, create new jobs and more importantly, give back to the local community.”

Grocery Outlet stores are owned and run by independent retailers based in the communities they serve.

Adding another East Coast location to its store portfolio, Grocery Outlet is slated to open in Edgewood, Maryland, situated 40 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. The new store will be located at 1901 Pulaski Highway and bring 40 new jobs to the area.

“I am so thrilled to be a part of the Edgewood community and provide relief with big savings on quality groceries,” stated independent owner-operator Michael Safo. “This partnership with Grocery Outlet gives me the ability to grow my business, create new jobs and more importantly, give back to the local community.”

Grocery Outlet, which in May posted strong financial results for the first quarter, takes advantage of opportunistic buying as its procurement teams focus on finding the top manufacturers with excess inventory and seasonal closeouts.

In terms of brick-and-mortar growth, the chain is looking to open 25 to 28 net new stores this year.

“We continue to invest in real estate and construction resources, both internally and externally, to support our store growth and new market expansion,” President and CEO RJ Sheedy told analysts last month in a conference call on Grocery Outlet’s Q1 results. (Call transcript provided by AlphaSense.)

Earlier this year, foot-traffic data firm Placer.ai put Grocery Outlet on its 10 Top Retail Brands to Watch in 2023 list.

“The company’s successful cross-country growth proves that customers are willing to look beyond a popular brand when it comes to savings at the till,” Placer.ai noted.

Overall, Grocery Outlet operates more than 440 stores in California, Idaho, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.