The Washington, D.C., Economic Partnership, a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes sustainable, equitable and inclusive economic development, says grocery stores and other food markets continue to be sought-after in the District.
“Grocery stores are in high demand in Washington, D.C., due to an increasing population and a focus on investments that provide fresh food options in the city. D.C.’s mixed-use neighborhoods offer access to both evening and daytime populations looking for convenient access to groceries and prepared meals. In addition, the city’s highly educated and diverse population provides significant demand for an extensive range of products and cuisines.”
According to the partnership, the companies operating the highest number of stores in the District as of July 2023 were Safeway (12); Whole Foods Market (eight); Giant and Streets Market (seven each); Target, Trader Joe’s, Union Kitchen and Yes! Organic Market (five apiece); Harris Teeter (three); and Lidl and Walmart (two each).
While the COVID-19 pandemic that started in March 2020 generally dampened store development, a number of openings have taken place in the District over that time, and more are planned.
A Safeway joined the Capitol Hill neighborhood in 2020; a Whole Foods Market opened in the Shaw neighborhood that year as well.
In 2021, an Amazon Fresh store opened at 14th and U streets.
In 2022, Wegmans opened in the Tenleytown/City Ridge area. Lidl debuted in the Skyland Town Center in southeast D.C. that September – the first full-service supermarket to serve Wards 7 and 8 in more than a decade, according to the international grocer, whose U.S. headquarters is in the D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia.
In 2023, Lidl opened a store at 3100 14th St. NW in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of northwest D.C.
A 47,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market opened June 28, 2023, in the historic Walter Reed development. It was the Texas-based retailer’s eighth store in the District.
In September 2024, Lidl opened another new store in Washington, D.C., in the Cathedral Heights area at 4000 Wisconsin Ave. NW. According to Lidl, it is “part of Lidl U.S.’s growing store network in the Washington, D.C. metro area.”
A new Aldi opened Dec. 5, 2024, at 5300 South Dakota Ave. NE. in the Fort Totten area of D.C.
[RELATED: Opportunity For Independent Grocers Abounds In Urban, Diverse Northeast]
Expected openings
A new MOM’s Organic Market in the Van Ness neighborhood is “coming soon,” according to the company’s website. The store will be at 4250 Connecticut Ave. NW. One other MOM’s operates in D.C., at 1501 New York Ave. NE in the Ivy City area.
MOM’s sells certified-organic produce, gluten-free and vegan products, sustainable seafood (100 percent of seafood, including canned tuna) and a wide variety of bulk grocery and body care items. It also has a health and wellness section that features organic vitamins and supplements and clean beauty products.
MOM’s was founded by Scott Nash in 1987 in his mom’s garage in Rockville, Maryland, with an initial investment of $100. Since then, it has grown to comprise 25 stores operating in Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York and Massachusetts.
Additional stores are in the works.
A July 2024 article from dcnewsnow.com said two The Fresh Market stores are planned for northern Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metro area – at Reston Station in Reston and in the West Falls area of Falls Church on the ground floor of a mixed-use development called The Alder.
The news outlet, citing a Fresh Market official, said the stores will open over the next three years or so.
Gourmet retailer Whole Foods Market will be part of a future mixed-use development in Falls Church. The development, Broad & Washington, features a Whole Foods on the ground floor and apartments on upper floors.
D.C. also reportedly will be the first city outside New York City to get a Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, a downsized version of the grocer’s traditional format.
Daily Shops range from 7,000 to 14,000 square feet versus the 40,000 or so square feet of a typical store, the Austin, Texas-based retailer said in March, when it announced the first store would open on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, to be followed by more stores in New York City, then other cities. The D.C. location could open in 2025.
Despite the reduced size, Daily Shops “offer Whole Foods Market favorites, including an ample selection of fresh, seasonal produce, meat and seafood, prepared foods like sandwiches and pre-packed meals, breads, alcohol and supplements, as well as a handpicked range of local specialties and our own 365 by Whole Foods Market brand,” the Austin, Texas-based grocer says.
Trader Joe’s Washington-Friendship Heights is expected to open in 2025 at 5335 Wisconsin Ave. in D.C., as is Trader Joe’s Washington-Brookland store, at 701 Monroe St. NE, according to the California-based retailer’s website.
Five Trader Joe’s currently operate around D.C. – Glover Park, 14th Street, 25th Street, Capitol Hill and Union Market District.
A WUSA News report in September said that a new grocery store is planned for the Woodley Park area of D.C., on Connecticut Avenue, which is causing residents east of the planned store, in Wards 7 and 8, to question why one is needed in Woodley Park when there are clearly fewer stores in their area.
In November, online reports said that Capitol Grocer will open at 2616 Connecticut Ave. in spaces that formerly housed an Ace Hardware and a CVS pharmacy.
The store reportedly is being opened by the owners of Capitol Supermarket, which has been in business since 1976 at 1231 11th St. NW. It started out selling mainstream grocery items but now also sells international foods, including Latino, Asian and African products, to serve D.C.’s multicultural population.
Add Comment