Pop quiz: In a down economy, would you expect an upscale, natural and organic foods grocer to more than double its number of stores?
Asheville-based Earth Fare has done so over the last three years. The chain has had three stores in the Charlotte market – in the SouthPark area, Ballantyne and Rock Hill – and this week opened its fourth, in Huntersville. There are also 20 other Earth Fares in five states in the Southeast and five more being built.
At the core of Earth Fare's business is a strict policy on what foods it won't carry: Nothing made with preservatives, artificial dyes or colors, antibiotics or growth hormones. The stores also carry a wide selection of local produce and specialty foods, like quinoa (a grain-like seed) and kambucha (a fermented tea that tastes vaguely like vinegar).
The privately held grocery chain also sends email offers and coupons to customers, has expanded its private-label brand offerings and sells a rotating selection of discounted goods to lure shoppers. Demographics could also be in play: Many higher-end food stores have been actually been doing rather well, due to what Safeway's CEO has called a "bifurcated recovery," in which many affluent consumers are doing just fine.
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