Whole Foods Union Square’s New Neighbor Increases NY Competition
Almost nine months after announcing that it was opening a Manhattan location, Trader Joe’s finally unveiled its new 12,000 square foot store in the Union Square area, close to a Whole Foods Market 4 times it size, a much smaller Food Emporium and, of course, so many of NYC’s ubiquitous Korean Green Grocers.
NBN expects the Food Emporium to suffer the most, with Whole Foods and the Korean corner stores also losing sales. Whole Foods shoppers love to complain about prices so we expect that despite regional president, Christina Minardi’s statement, as quoted in the New York Sun, that “we don’t consider them competition,” that the WFM number crunchers will be squinting overtime at their spreadsheets in the coming months , looking closely at sales and also at ways for WFM to continue to improve customer service and the impression of value in the face of its new discount neighbor.
Almost nine months after announcing that it was opening a Manhattan location, Trader Joe’s finally unveiled its new 12,000 square foot store in the Union Square area, close to a Whole Foods Market 4 times it size, a much smaller Food Emporium (a 35 store upscale division of A & P) and of course, so many of NYC’s ubiquitous Korean green grocers.
NBN expects the Food Emporium to suffer the most, with Whole Foods and the Korean corner stores also losing sales.
Whole Foods shoppers love to complain about prices so we expect that despite regional president, Christina Minardi’s statement, as quoted in the New York Sun, that “we don’t consider them competition,” that the WFM number crunchers will be squinting overtime at their spreadsheets in the coming months , looking closely at sales and also at ways for WFM to continue to improve customer service and the impression of value in the face of its new discount neighbor.
Manhattanites, known for their tiny kitchens, disability, dislike and disinclination to more of anything in the kitchen other than taking a Heineken out of the refrigerator or the vodka out of the freezer are also people that love the latest ‘in’ thing.
Paparazzi cite WFM are a celebrity haven. Trader Joe’s wont have the same glitz-appeal but then again, every New Yorker loves a bargain baby, and Trader Joe’s, while not quite like having a cousin in the business, is a lot closer to getting it wholesale.
