A Billypenn.com article recently reported on the plethora of supermarket openings in the city of Philadelphia. According to author Layla A. Jones and her sources, the city welcomed 56 grocery stores between 2015 and 2018, and over the past two years, the Department of Licenses and Inspections issued 255 permits for retail food sales.
Here’s Layla’s summary of new launches and what to expect in the near future.
Trader Joe’s: Before October of last year, there was only one (very crowded) store located at 22nd and Market, but a second Trader Joe’s opened in the city last fall near Broad and Arch Streets.
Lidl: The discount grocer opened its first Philly store last December in Port Richmond, and a second is coming soon on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philly where a Hooter’s restaurant used to be.
Giant Heirloom Market: Three of Giant’s smaller, urban format grocery stores have opened in Philadelphia (in Graduate Hospital, Northern Liberties and University City) and a fourth is on the way in Queen Village. The hip Northern Liberties store has a taproom called “The Underground,” with craft beers, seltzers and kombuchas (huh?) on tap, as well as an area with classic arcade games and a Scrabble wall.
Aldi: The fast-expanding discount grocer already has 10 stores in the city, and another is planned for North Broad Street and Fairmount Ave., bringing the area a much needed grocery store.
Met Fresh: According to its website, this small chain has three stores in New York City, but it plans to join the planned Village Square on Haverford development in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood. The proposed development calls for 166 apartments and over 30,000 square feet of commercial space anchored by Met Fresh’s full service supermarket. Ground breaking for the project is expected to take place later this year.
Thanks for the info, Layla! One more to add…
Golden Farms: As I wrote in a recent blog post, Golden Farms grocery store opened last month in West Philadelphia in the space formerly occupied by ShopRite. The ShopRite operator had closed about a year ago, complaining that the city’s tax on sweetened beverages, known as the “soda tax,” forced the store out of business. Golden Farms is associated with Key Foods stores.