The market for organics is increasing at more than twice the rate of conventional food and nonfood products. Sales of organics grew nearly 12 % in 2014 with similar increases expected when 2015 numbers are released, according to the Organics Trade Association.
The increase is leading to explosive growth of supermarkets in the Twin Cities with an emphasis on organics, including Lucky's Markets and Fresh Thyme. But conventional supermarkets are rapidly expanding their organic selections too. Newbies such as Hy-Vee, as well as Cub and Aldi, are enhancing their selection.
Colorado-based Lucky's Markets, already in 11 states, is scouting sites in the Twin Cities. Similar to Fresh Thyme, which had its Minnesota debut in Bloomington last year, Lucky's looks like a co-op but is slightly larger. In what may be a swipe at Whole Foods, Lucky's labels itself as "organic for the 99 percent." Its locations are about 30,000 square feet, about half the size of a typical supermarket. Lucky's stores also have separate liquor stores.
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