ROSAUERS SET TO OPEN NEW NATURAL FOOD SUPERMARKET

MARYELLEN LO BOSCO

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Huckleberry's, a new freestanding natural and organic foods store by Rosauers Supermarkets here, is doing so well that a second unit will open late next month.

"We are working on a second store and will assess operations in both stores and whether we know how to be in this business, and if the marketplace can accept and support this kind of business," said Norm Carpenter, director of marketing and operations for Huckleberry's, also here.

Rosauers opened Huckleberry's because, while it already had an expanded selection of specialty and natural items, it didn't have the shelf space to carry the variety available in a freestanding store, Carpenter said.

"The market is ready, and we wanted to test our ability to sell what we think is a new wave of grocery retailing," he explained.

"Natural foods are obviously a growing area in the grocery industry. There's been tremendous growth in the natural foods industry in the past five years," Carpenter added.

"We are very happy so far," he said of the first store, which opened Nov. 11, 1996. The second store also will operate in Spokane.

A store-level source at Huckleberry's told SN that the grocery department accounts for about half of the retail space. Items include cereals, canned soups, pasta, oil, vinegar, ketchup and mustard, along with "green" paper products, like toilet paper and paper towels.

A frozens section about 45 feet long features pizza, lasagna, pastas and other entrees.

The 29,000-square-foot store carries a variety of brands: for example, Sunshine Valley, Nature's Path and Barbara's cereal products, all of which retail from $2.99 to $3.99; 8- to 20-ounce pastas from Del Verde and Garden Time, retailing from $1.99 to $5.50; and Healthy Valley and Hain soups, from $1.39 to $1.89.

"It's a totally unique store and doesn't look like a conventional store or have its ambience," Carpenter added. "There are dead ends, blind alleys and U-shaped gondolas. The notion is to slow folks down and provide them with the opportunity to read labels. There's also a tremendous amount of literature throughout the store for customers to read."