Good news for lovers of organic food in east Vancouver: Natural Grocers is opening its second store in the city.
The Colorado-based retailer specializing in organic foods opens its new, 15,000-square-foot store at 3311 S.E. 192nd Ave. today. Representatives said it will stock an assortment of natural products, from food to body care.
According to Kemper Isely, co-president of the retailer, the products are free of artificial flavors, preservatives and hydrogenated oils and have garnered “huge demand” at its store in Hazel Dell.
“Our current store has been well-received by the community, and our new store is a substantial distance from the current location,” he said in an email. “We feel that opening a second location will allow us to serve more people in the community.”
Natural Grocers
Store hours:
• 8 a.m. to 9:04 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
• 8 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. on Sunday.
The odd times can be attributed to the company’s founder who, a spokesperson said, didn’t believe in kicking people out at closing.
“It means you don’t have to race out the door,” she said.
Grand opening festivities include a 1950s-style ice cream social from 4 to 6 p.m., free samples and other giveaways.
The organic food movement, which has fueled the successes of retailers such as New Seasons and Whole Foods Market, offers products that are reportedly healthier and safer.
Isely said Natural Grocers offers eggs from free-range chickens, pasture-based dairy products and poultry that was never dosed with antibiotics or hormones.
But while natural and organic food retailers have surged in the past decade, they now face growing competition from established retailers like Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart, who have pushed hard into the market in recent years. Costco is reportedly the largest seller of organic produce and packaged foods, reporting $4 billion in sales in 2015.
As reported by The Washington Post, mass-market retailers made up 53.3 percent of organic food sales in 2015, according to the Organic Trade Association. Natural retailers made up 37 percent.
The new Natural Grocers store, which is staffed by 18 new hires, precedes another step into the Portland metro area for the company. The company will open another store across the river in the spring, it said in a statement.
Natural Grocers was founded in 1955 and employs more than 3,000 people, operating 132 stores in 19 states.
