Street Corner Grows With Urban Superette Concept
TOPEKA, Kan. — Known for its shopping mall locations, Street Corner is growing its urban presence.
The convenience store chain's latest store in Chattanooga, Tenn., is an "urban superette" concept, designed from the ground up to meet the needs of dense population centers, according to the retailer.
It features a deli, salad bar and other fresh-food offerings, and boasts the company's latest technology, design and lighting elements.
"Following a generational exodus, people are coming back to the cities, particularly millennials who want to live near where they work, dine and shop. But these mixed-use centers and city centers are often wastelands when it comes to traditional grocery stories," said Peter La Colla, Street Corner's CEO. "We're catering to those built-in populations. Our urban superette market is the convergence of convenience, grocery and deli."
Billing itself as a "fresh market," the new Chattanooga Street Corner opened Aug. 22 in The Clemons, a historic building in the City Center that has been renovated to include a mix of apartment homes and retailers.
In addition to groceries and traditional convenience items, the store offers locally sourced pastries, chocolate, breads and coffee; espresso-style drinks; a curated collection of craft beers; unique jewelry; and, flowers from a nearby florist
"The idea is to provide a true Chattanooga experience that reflects our community's expertise in all we do, especially healthy living," said franchise operations partner Elia Gouvitsa.
The urban superette also showcases Street Corner's latest technology. A grocery section can be partitioned off when the convenience store closes, and self-checkout with fingerprint payment give building residents 24-hour access.
An app for online ordering and delivery will launch in October.
"From lunch deliveries to fresh flowers and custom-made baskets, we'll be able to meet the needs of busy professionals in downtown," Gouvitsa said.
Street Corner is also growing its shopping mall presence. The retailer opened a 196-square-foot inline store in the food court of the Jackson Premium Outlets in Jackson, N.J.
The store caters to shoppers and employees with snacks, beverages, coffee, energy drinks and lottery tickets. It is the second store in New Jersey for owners Sameer Joshi and Himanshu Choksi; they opened a store in Rockaway Townsquare in Rockaway Township in November 2014.
The Chattanooga and Jackson stores are Nos. 42 and 43 in Street Corner's portfolio. The Topeka-based company has more than 40 franchises in 16 states, ranging from traditional inline stores to freestanding stores with gas.