How 7 grocers are upgrading their stores as 2024 progresses

Grocers spent the first half of 2024 devoting resources to modernizing stores, upgrading their assortments and adding amenities — efforts that could help them build loyalty with consumers searching for an optimal mix of price, choice and convenience in a retail environment that has sharply changed over the past few years.

The changes include multimillion-dollar investments in remodeling stores by supermarket chains like Kroger, which plans to spend $45 million this year to renovate 15 stores in Ohio and Indiana, and Tops Friendly Markets, which announced in April that it plans to spend more than $8 million to upgrade several upstate New York stores it acquired from a franchise partner.

Walmart has made its grocery department a centerpiece of its ongoing project to upgrade hundreds of superstores, putting pressure on traditional grocers to up their store experiences.

Traditional grocers are employing a range of tactics to help their physical stores stand out. Whole Foods Market is debuting several small-format stores in places including New York City. In addition, Publix opened an experience-focused prototype location in Florida early in the year. Sprouts Farmers Market, meanwhile, added a new coffee shop to a store in California in May and plans to bring the concept to several other stores.

Here’s a look at some of the most significant efforts grocers have made this year to upgrade their stores.