The Market Report

Kate's Corner Opened: 1993 Owner:  Kathleen Connors Previous Tenants:  Various independent grocers dating to 1824 Cooperative:  none Location:  321 Acton Rd, Chelmsford, MA Photographed:  July 7, 2024 I don't usually write about small corner grocers or delis, but Kate's Corner here in South Chelmsford is too important to pass up. The 1600 square foot store, built into a house, goes as far back as 1824 when it first opened as a general store. It's continuously operated as a grocery store since then for over 200 years. I won't attempt to describe the history any further than that, since you can read a much more extensive background, see lots more pictures, and even see a timeline of the store's background on this post from the Chelmsford Historical Society . Chelmsford is part quaint small New England town and part suburb, as it's immediately outside the city of Lowell, and the rural surroundings of this store belie the city of 115,000 just five miles north. ...

 A lot has been happening in the last few weeks, so here's a roundup of all the local supermarket news of the northeast. It's January, so unfortunately that means a lot of closures (openings typically happen in the spring and summer, and closures typically happen in the winter). But there's some other things going on, too. You can also follow me at news.marketreportblog.com for all the updates! This Weekend's Posts City Supermarket nears completion of its remodel in Kenilworth The small but mighty store in downtown Kenilworth is wrapping up its remodel after being acquired by local chain City Supermarket last summer. Read more here ! Price Chopper prepares to close a Worcester store The writing has been on the wall for years, but the time is here: Price Chopper will be closing their store in Main South Worcester. Read all about it here ! Shaw's at Webster Square is reset, but not (yet?) remodeled And just a couple blocks away, Shaw's has reset their southern Wo...

Gala Foods Supermarket Opened: 2018 Owner:  Aurora Grocery Group Previous Tenants:  department store > Santiago's Supermarket > Compare Foods Cooperative:  Key Food Stores Location:  664 Main St, Worcester, MA Photographed:  January 13, 2025 It's time for a revisit to the Gala Foods in downtown Worcester! I posted a few pictures of the outside last fall, but now let's take a look inside the roughly 30,000 square foot supermarket -- the only one in downtown Worcester, in fact. Gala Foods has renovated the store, but the bones are similar. Still, it feels much brighter and more open, as a few things have been shifted around and lighting and flooring has been changed throughout. Here at the deli/bakery area near the front entrance, a fresh coat of paint is looking good along with new fixtures and a new juice and smoothie bar. New refrigerators and shelving in front of the service counters display a much wider selection of baked goods. Sorry for the terrible...

Plaza Supermarket Opened: 2008 under current ownership Owner:  Robert de Fernando Monegro Previous Tenants:  Finast > King Super Market > Santiago Meat Supermarket Cooperative:  Krasdale Foods Location:  1000 Main St, Worcester, MA Photographed:  January 13, 2025 Today's look at Plaza Supermarket in Worcester's Main South neighborhood is a very quick revisit to the small store, as they've almost finished a multi-year renovation project. The produce department has been redone with new fixtures (see here for the previous setup and a look at the store through the years), and new flooring, shelving, and aisle markers are in throughout the store. This building has been home to a grocery store for over 100 years at this point, going back to Abraham Glass, who owned a store here in the 1920s. Several other tenants occupied the building through the decades, until Plaza opened up in 2008. The only other change is that a hot food counter is being installed next to...

Shaw's Opened: 2005 Owner:  Albertsons Companies Previous Tenants:  Zayre Cooperative:  none Location:  68 Stafford St, Worcester, MA Photographed:  January 13, 2025 As the Price Chopper just east prepares to close , the Shaw's at Webster Square Plaza has finished a reset. I was hoping they'd also remodel the store, but they haven't. The nearly 80,000 square foot store, located in a former Zayre department store, is clearly too big for Shaw's, as they've reduced the store in every way they can without actually shrinking the footprint. The perimeter and service departments don't seem to have changed, but the grocery aisles certainly have. In the first few aisles, the separated natural foods and international foods departments have been removed, with the selections integrated into the rest of the store. (You can see how it previously was set up in my original tour here .) The different-colored flooring remains, though... But the selection across the store has...