Lazy Acres Natural Market is celebrating its 10th year in Long Beach, California.
While the remodeled store will open to the public on March 15, the grocer will hold a community celebration March 18. It will also be introducing a new community giving program for reusable bags, which will benefit Long Beach nonprofits.
Founded in Santa Barbara in 1991, the retailer has grown to five stores, with a sixth to open later this year. The Long Beach location has been serving the Los Altos neighborhood since 2012 and has been named the “Best Grocery Store” in several local polls.
Lazy Acres will offer customers a two-week, in-store event running March 15-29, featuring sales such as 30 percent off throughout the bulk department, 40 percent off lobster tails and jumbo shrimp and 40 percent off Mary’s air-chilled organic chicken. The sale also includes 25 percent off Long Beach location merchandise in the housewares department, as well as other grocery staples and organic produce.
The March 18 celebration, which will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., will feature:
- Free samples throughout the store;
- Giveaways and chances to win one of four $250 Lazy Acres gift cards;
- An in-store Bee Scavenger Hunt for kids, with a free cookie upon completion;
- Free Envirotokens reusable bags while supplies last; and
- Chances to win $10 gift cards every hour.
The renovated store will feature updated departments and new fixtures and features. It will offer customers enhancements, such as new food venues that include Mediterranean, California Barbecue and Fish Tacos, reimagined hot and cold food bars, an enhanced poke bowl bar and sushi department and an upgraded made-to-order coffee and juice bar. An expanded seating area will also allow for more community gathering.
“We are grateful to serve such a vibrant and special neighborhood here in Long Beach,” said Mark Wackerman, store director.
“This remodel project has been many months in the making, and our customers have stuck with us along the way. But it has been worth it. We have an awesome community here, and the whole store team is excited to show off the upgrades, including the new menus in prepared foods, updated juice and coffee bar and better café seating area. ”
The grocer is also launching another new program, Envirotokens. The new program rewards customers who make the choice to reuse bags and keep single-use items out of local landfills. When customers shop with their own grocery bags, Lazy Acres will give them a 10¢ Envirotoken per bag. The customer pays it forward to one of six local nonprofits, with a focus in K-12 education efforts, hunger relief and environmental stewardship.
The featured Long Beach store recipients include Boys & Girls Club of Long Beach, Food Bank of Southern California, Food Finders, Friends of Long Beach Animals, Operation Jump Start and Partners of Parks. Every month, Lazy Acres will tally up Envirotokens, convert them into dollar amounts and send a check to each organization.
“Caring for community has been a part of our mission since the beginning,” said Forrest Gonsiewski, VP.
“For more than 30 years, we’ve been focused on doing the right thing for our neighbors, for our earth and for each other. This new giving program is another way we can work together with our collective future in mind. We are starting the program here in Long Beach now and will introduce it to all our stores in the next few months.”
For additional anniversary information, visit lazyacres.com.
