Price Rite brings latest format to more stores

Price Rite Marketplace has rolled out its new look and enhanced shopping experience to another five stores in Massachusetts under a 16-month-old rebranding program.

The Wakefern Food Corp. banner said grand reopenings were held this weekend at Price Rite stores in Chicopee, Pittsfield, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield, Mass. Store redesigns include new décor and a more vibrant color palette, a farmer’s market-style produce department, LED lighting, improved signage and new self-service checkouts.

Merchandising that bolsters Price Rite’s discount focus, however, is at the heart of the rebranding. For example, a new area called the Drop Zone showcases hot deals, special buys and “must-have” products typically priced at $5 or less. The Keasbey, N.J.-based grocery chain said the Drop Zone makes it easier for customers by putting eye-catching offers in one spot.

Price Rite redesigns include a farmer’s market-style produce department.

Price Rite also has pared everyday prices on hundreds of items storewide via its Amazing Value! offers and is serving up weekly deals under the new Spot on Savings! program, which highlights discounts with bright red spots that pop out in aisles.

“Our customers have embraced the marketplace feel, focus on fresh foods, and amazing deals at our rebranded stores,” Price Rite President Jim Dorey said in a statement. “We are excited to bring this streamlined shopping experience to our shoppers in Chicopee, Pittsfield, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield.”

Related:Podcast: Price Rite’s Jim Dorey on ramping up a revamp

The upgraded Massachusetts locations followed rebrands at five Maryland stores — in Baltimore, District Heights, Hyattsville, Rosedale and Woodlawn — launched in November. Plans call for Price Rite to complete updates to more stores in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island early this year.

Price Rite announced the rebranding plan in September 2018 with pilots at three stores in Pennsylvania. The rollout of the new store concept picked up during 2019 as 35 more locations were upgraded in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Maryland.

Key features of Price Rite's new concept include a bakery department with a dessert case called The Sweet Spot and a wider selection of the Wholesome Pantry private label line.

Other key features of the concept include a new bakery department with a dessert case called The Sweet Spot and a wider selection of the Wholesome Pantry private-label line, which offers free-from, organic, natural and gluten-free options. Customers, too, will find high-quality meat offerings, with brands such as Certified Angus Beef, Perdue’s No Antibiotics Ever Chicken, Wholesome Pantry organic chicken and Oasis Halal, part of the “Fresh New Finds!” at the rebranded stores. The retailer also offers a double-your-money-back guarantee on Price Rite-brand products.

Related:With new look, Price Rite reimagines shopping experience

Currently, Price Rite Marketplace has 64 stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.