Walk into most grocery stores and the experience is largely transactional: Grab a cart, work your way down the aisles and check out. Redner’s Markets wants to change that, and its newest store in Wilmington, Delaware, is the place where it’s making moves toward that next-generation grocery shopping experience.
The Reading, Pennsylvania-based grocer broke ground in November on the 52,000-square-foot location at Kirkwood Plaza shopping center on Kirkwood Highway. The store, which is still early in the construction phase but could open this summer or fall, will be Redner’s first location in New Castle County and its debut in the Wilmington marketplace, in northern Delaware.
It will serve as the model for what the company refers to as its Fresh Market 2.0, making grocery shopping “a destination and an event,” said Eric White, director of marketing and communications for Redner’s Markets.
“When you can add foodservice options and the ability to sit down and eat and then go grocery shopping, it can be more than just a taxing trip to the grocery store.”
White told The Griffin Report that Redner’s worked with a prominent architect to design the building and interior aesthetics for the new concept and plans are in the works for a second location in the grocer’s home county of Berks in Pennsylvania.
Family legacy on menu
The most distinctive feature of the new Wilmington store is its lineup of in-store eateries, each one a tribute to members of the Redner family.
Positioned along the right-hand side of the store upon entry, the foodservice corridor is designed to be immediately visible and accessible, whether a customer is stopping in to grab lunch or dinner or fueling up before a full shopping trip.
Earl’s Smashburgers pays homage to company founder Earl Redner, offering burgers, fries and a dedicated eat-in diner atmosphere. In a nod to local craftsmanship, Redner’s is partnering with Reading Soda Works to serve craft-made shakes and floats as part of the Earl’s Smashburgers experience.
Big Gary’s Famous Chicken honors Earl’s son, the late Gary W. Redner, with a menu of bone-in fried chicken, wings and strips, made from a secret recipe Gary developed himself. “Our fried chicken, if you’ve never had it, I would tell you you’ve got to try it,” White said. “It is awesome.”
Fisher’s Pier reflects the store’s coastal Delaware location, offering bread bowls of clam chowder or shrimp gumbo as well as lobster rolls, crab cakes and shrimp po’boys.
And Marybakes, named for Earl’s wife, Mary Redner, carries perhaps the most personal story of all. Mary used to bake cookies and homemade treats to send to her grandchildren when they were away at college. The department she inspired will feature fresh-baked cookies, artisan breads and party cakes as well as fresh and hot donuts, the latter a new offering for Redner’s.
Rounding out the foodservice lineup is Carnival Crush, a nostalgic concept offering popcorn, cotton candy, corn dogs, funnel cakes and other fair-inspired treats. While Redner’s offers fresh popcorn at other locations, the carnival feel will be amped up at the store.
“There’s a lot of different things that we’re adding that consumers want to see now,” White said.
The vision behind 2.0
The new concept is the product of an extensive brand reinvention process led by third-generation owners Ryan Redner, president and CEO, and Gary M. Redner, chief operating officer.
Redner’s already operates seven Fresh Market locations across its network of 44 grocery stores and 24 Quick Shops in eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
“This new Fresh Market concept and layout make shopping a little bit more convenient, a little bit more affordable and a little bit more fun,” Ryan Redner said at the groundbreaking. “We can’t wait to provide some really delicious in-store food offerings sure to become a destination for hungry shoppers and their families.”
The store also will feature retail islands with artisanal cheeses and store-made fresh mozzarella, deli and prepared foods, meat and frozen foods, and organic and gluten-free products.
Community-first thinking
One of the more quietly notable aspects of Redner’s approach to Fresh Market 2.0 is how deliberately the company is thinking about its role within the shopping centers and communities it enters. White explained that the foodservice mix at each location will be customized not just to local tastes but to the business ecosystem.
“We want everyone to ‘eat,’” White said – and he means that literally and figuratively.
At the second Fresh Market 2.0 location planned for Berks County, the store will feature fresh empanadas and Latin-inspired food. That offering was intentionally left out of the Wilmington location because a Latin-inspired restaurant operates within Kirkwood Plaza.
“We realized that for the vibrancy and the health of the local economy, it doesn’t make sense to make guests choose between two similar places,” White said. The goal, instead, is a symbiotic relationship with neighboring businesses rather than a competitive one.
That community orientation extended to the groundbreaking event itself, where Redner’s donated $5,000 to Table of Plenty, a Wilmington-based nonprofit.
“We’re honored to support Table of Plenty and look forward to serving our customers and our community partners in the years to come,” said COO Gary Redner.
The new Wilmington store is replacing a former Acme Market at the Kirkwood Plaza location, filling a retail gap in an established shopping corridor. Local and state officials have expressed enthusiasm about the project, according to White.
What comes next
When the Wilmington store opens, it will bring Redner’s Delaware presence to seven locations. The company plans to hire locally for about 150 full- and part-time positions, while also offering internal transfer opportunities for current employees.
The elevated foodservice component may require a somewhat larger staff than a traditional Redner’s store, though final operational plans are still being finalized.
If the Fresh Market 2.0 concept performs as the Redner family envisions, Wilmington may be just the beginning. The Berks County location is in development, and the template – family-named eateries, community-conscious menus, destination-worthy shopping – appears built to appeal to communities across the grocer’s footprint.
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