The Shelby Report’s VP-West Bob Reeves attended the VIP reception the evening before the new Northgate González Market opened Nov. 20 in Riverside, California.
Guests were treated to a private tour of the store and the opportunity to mingle with members of the Riverside community, members of the González family and store associates. Homemade tortillas, carnitas, ceviche, specialty cheeses, and “all the authentic Mexican dishes that are our specialty” were served.
Speaking at the reception were Co-President Miguel Gonzalez and his daughter, Alicia Valadez, as well as Mike Hendry, EVP of marketing and merchandising.
The newest location for the family-owned, Latino themed supermarket chain is at 10391 Magnolia Avenue. A full-service supermarket, it features a large meat department, bakery, fresh produce and prepared foods in addition to a sizeable section of domestic and imported Latin American grocery goods. In the tortilleria, Northgate prepares its own masa from raw corn and makes fresh tortillas several times a day.
“We are excited at the Riverside community’s overwhelming welcome to the grand opening of our newest store,” said Miguel González, co-president of Northgate Market. “Our entrée into Riverside is a planned expansion of our grocery brand into key markets and an opportunity to offer local consumers an authentic shopping experience with customer service that will exceed everyone’s expectations.”
The new store has a community room available for nonprofit organizations needing meeting space and plans to host diabetes classes, cooking classes, yoga classes and more.
The Riverside store also will include a medical clinic—Clinica Bienestar—where residents can obtain medical services.
The new Northgate Market employs 224 associates, with 168 of the positions filled by residents of Riverside and its surrounding areas.
With an eye on convenience and the busy lifestyles of today’s shoppers, the store will also offer hundreds of new, on-the-go items to choose from along with easy-to-navigate checkout services.
As part of Northgate’s grand opening celebration, the company reached out to local community organizations and made contributions totaling $25,000 to support local services and programs.
The store is open daily 6 a.m.-11 p.m.
Anaheim-based Northgate operates 41 stores in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties.
