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Grocery stores changing — but here to stay, report says

June 17, 2019

Grocery stores will change inside and out over the coming few years — but there will still be grocery stores, predicts CBRE.

“The store will remain central to the grocery industry, but its format and function will be reshaped by multiple factors over the coming years,” said Melina Cordero, CBRE’s head of global retail research. “Grocery operators must diversify their offering to best compete, which will lead to varied store formats for different markets, nontraditional merchandise assortments and an even greater focus on customer convenience.”

Traditional checkout counters will be replaced within 10 years by cart scanners and other technology

Among 11 predictions made in the report, titled 2019 U.S. Food in Demand Series: Grocery, the grocery checkout line will be gone in 10 years, replaced by carts with built-in bar-code scanners and credit-card swipers; mobile-payment apps; and a slew of other technology.

The big grocery chains will continue to invest in smaller, convenience-style stores, especially in urban markets. They will be offering more prepared foods, building in-store restaurants and investing in omni-channel services that include curbside pickup.

“The store will remain central to the grocery industry, but its format and function will be reshaped by multiple factors over the coming years”

And just as there will still be grocery stores, there also will be grocery-anchored shopping centers, the report says.

“Grocery-anchored centers are favored by real estate investors due to the industry’s steady if slow sales growth and minimal e-commerce penetration relative to other categories,” the CBRE report reads. “Still, U.S. grocers face significant pressure to adapt to changing consumer preferences, new store formats, automation and delivery demand.”

By Edmund Mander

Director, Editor-In-Chief/SCT