The Shelby Report of the West was on hand Sept. 28 as Cardenas Markets held a grand opening celebration for its 20,000-square-foot store at 3317 W. Ramsey St. in Banning, California.
The location, which previously operated under the Rio Ranch Market banner, marks the company’s expanded footprint and is the first to serve the San Gorgonio Pass area.
Cardenas, which acquired the site about 60 days earlier, invested more than $700,000 to remodel and refurbish the building to meet its standards, according to Chief Operating Officer Prabash Coswatte.
While smaller than a typical Cardenas site, Coswatte noted that community response to the store has been “amazingly refreshing.”
Cardenas held similar grand openings for other former Rio Ranch Markets in California on Oct. 12 in San Bernardino, Oct. 19 in Jurupa Valley and Perris and Oct. 26 in Chino and Fontana.
Each location has undergone an extensive remodel in preparation for its opening. Cardenas’ produce department features an assortment of seasonal fruits and vegetables from the U.S. and Latin America while the meat department has expanded its varieties of meat, beef, pork, chicken and seafood.
Each store has added an authentic Mexican Cocina, where shoppers can buy carnitas, tamales, taquería classics and other daily deal options. It also has a tortilleria featuring authentic corn and flour tortillas made from scratch.
In addition to a formal ribbon cutting, festivities in Banning included prize give- aways, remarks from local dignitaries and elected officials, as well as live entertainment from mariachis and ballet folklorico dancers.
“Please know that our commitment to celebrating Hispanic heritage lasts all year, not just one month. That’s what we are every single day,” said Adam Salgado, chief marketing officer for Cardenas.
“In the same way that the city of Banning takes pride in the quality of services it provides to the community, Cardenas Markets takes pride in providing our customers with the friendliest service and freshest, most authentic products at amazing prices always. It isn’t just our slogan – always fresh, always authentic.
“So, as we celebrate the opening of the store, we do celebrate over 40 years of serving Southern California residents, and we certainly look forward to serving you in Banning.”
In honor of the occasion, the Cardenas Markets Foundation made donations of $5,000 each to the Banning Unified School District and Faith in Action.
Ontario, California-based Cardenas Markets is one of the largest Hispanic grocery chains in the country. It has 57 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, seven under Los Altos Ranch Markets and one Cardenas Ranch Market. The stores are located in California, Nevada and Arizona.
For more information, visit cardenasmarkets.com.
To read the full Innovator of the Year section on Cardenas Markets from The Shelby Report, click here.
To view the photo gallery from the event taken by The Shelby Report, click here.
