First Look: Raley’s opens new store concept
Raley’s has opened a specialty format focused on organics, nutrition and education.
The 85-year-old California-based grocer unveiled its first-ever Raley’s O-N-E Market, in Truckee, Calif. The 35,000-sq.-ft. store is designed to create a unique shopping destination with a highly curated product selection and a commitment to transparency and health eating. It is an evolution of Raley’s Market 5-ONE-5, in downtown Sacramento, which opened in 2018.
“It has become increasingly clear that our customers want to know where their food comes from, what’s in it and how it may impact their overall health and wellness,” said Keith Knopf, president & CEO, Raley’s, which operates 126 stores. “We are consistently listening and learning, and that's led us to the next step in our company’s transformation: Raley’s O-N-E Market. This concept will influence and guide the strategic transformation of existing Raley’s stores in the near future. It is part of our long-range brand differentiation strategy.”
Raley’s said it opted to launch the new format in Truckee, which is not far from Lake Tahoe, because it is a community that supports an active and healthy lifestyle. The store was designed to resemble a ski lodge and to serve as a meeting place for locals and visitors alike. It has two patios, one per floor, with plenty of outdoor seating and each with a fireplace.
The new Raley’s also boasts an array of sustainable elements, including high-efficiency LED lighting, motion sensors in all refrigerated and frozen cases, a highly reflective “cool roof,” a low water consumption adiabatic refrigeration condensing system, and 210 photovoltaic solar panels. An on-site anaerobic digester process converts organic waste into bio-natural gas to power homes and fuel school buses.
The pine trees cleared for the site were harvested and repurposed into the store’s design, including décor elements and approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of paneling on the A-frame ceiling.
Raley’s O-N-E Market features a curated assortment of products that are fresh, nutritious, organic when possible, minimally processed and sustainably sourced. Items were selected to exclude ingredients from the Raley’s O-N-E Market banned ingredient list, such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated fats and oils.
Other features include a meat department free from antibiotics and hormones, 100% sustainable seafood, and freshly prepared foods available for dine-in or take-away, ranging from heart-based pizza to sushi. The store’s loft includes a beer and wine bar, offering local craft brews, curated wines and chef-created “bar bites.”
The location also includes Raley’s first-ever “Something Extra Health program,” a new feature of the company’s loyalty program and designed to help interested customers on their personal wellness journeys. In-store tours and classes, personalized nutrition counseling and supplement recommendations will be offered by a full-time nutrition advisor and registered dietitian.
This is the third new store in California that Raley’s has opened in the past two months. In April, it opened a flagship location in Sacramento, which was followed by a store in Rancho Murieta in May.
Based in West Sacramento, Calif., Raley’s operates 127 stores under six banners: Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source, Market 5-ONE-5 and Raley’s O-N-E Market.