Grocery Store Chains Test Small-Format Locations In Fast-Growing Urban Areas

Supermarkets’ biggest stores are bigger than ever, but at the same time, grocery chains across the country are testing small-format stores that tuck into fast-growing urban areas, often as part of larger mixed-use office and residential projects.

Hy-Vee’s 36,000-square-foot downtown Des Moines store is just as much a restaurant as it is a supermarket. On the ground floor of a four-story building with apartments above, it has a Market Grille restaurant and bar, the Des Moines Register reported.

It has a pharmacy and all the typical grocery store food categories, plus lots of extra features, like a beer growler bar and a smoothie island. A series of food stations make up a food court, with Mexican, Italian, Japanese and deli foods along with sushi, charcuterie and comfort food.