As appeared in Cincinnati Enquirer

Not your Grandma's Kroger

By John Eckberg

Founder Barney Kroger wouldn't recognize the latest offering from his namesake Kroger Co.

The new grocery store at Kenwood Towne Place features wide aisles, a gourmet experience and everything from dry-aged beef and a sit-down sushi bar to apple tortes and chocolate truffles made by an executive pastry chef.

Workers scrambled to finish the store today before its grand opening Tuesday at 7 am.

As some workers hung store signs from a four-story portable crane and others fussed with feather dusters in the canned food aisle, Geoff Covert, President of the Cincinnati-Dayton division of Cincinnati-based Kroger, promised this 82,000 square foot store would be a magnet for the affluent households of Amberley Village, Blue Ash, Kenwood, Maderia and Indian Hill.

"Whatever the latest and greatest ideas were, we tried to incorporate those into this store," Covert said. "It's no secret more people are eating at home. And it's no scret that not everyone has time to prepare a wholesome healthy meal for their families."

While other new Kroger stores sell household wares like patio furniture or office desks, that is not the case here. About one-third of the floor space is dedicated to heat-and-eat or ready-to-eat meals.

It is the third Kroger Fresh Fare store built in Ohio and 83rd Fresh Fare store nationwide. Most of those are in California and managed by the company's Ralph's division.

"Kroger is no longer like going to your Grandmother's grocery and getting sliced turkey," said Rick Munarriz, senior retail analyst at the Motley Fool, an online investment analysis group based in Alexandria, Va.

"It makes sense for conventional grocers to follow in the footsteps of organic grocers like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes."

The store also has:

A burrito bar with daily, fresh tortillas.

A line of expanded organic produce and fruits.

Dozens of cheese varieties in a store-within-a-store managed by Murray's Cheese of New York City.

Hearth-based pizzas, a bistro, desserts made from scratch, 12 chefs and 35 line cooks.

A Boar's Head branded store-within-a-store lunchmeat counter.

The hundreds of workers in an office building-still under construction above the store-and the workers from the nearby Kenwood Towne Centre are likely to be core customers for the prepared meals, Covert said.

Shoppers will not see an in-sore bank or a drive-through pharmacy lane, either, although a pharmacy fills a front corner of the store.

Space was too tight for those amenities, Covert said.