In the modern world, few places are as linked to our survival as the grocery store. As the main source of most people’s food, it is the definition of an essential service—and one that’s become even more important during the pandemic.
The increased reliance on grocery stores has coincided with emerging trends in retail that are physically changing the way grocery shopping happens. Architecturally, the grocery store is about to look and function differently than it has in the recent past, from store entrances to customer interfaces to the interior layout.
Eric Price is the studio director of commercial and hospitality projects at Lowney Architecture, which has worked on several grocery store projects in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Hawaii, including with the West Coast Safeway chain. Over the last several years, Price has seen stores trending smaller and becoming more neighborhood oriented, with some incorporating more flexible floor plans and areas that can double as community event spaces.
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