groceryoutlet

groceryoutlet

Photo courtesy of Grocery Outlet Long Beach.

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, branding itself as “the nation’s fastest-growing, extreme-value grocery retailer,” will open its first location in Long Beach this week, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for February 4 and a grand opening for the public on Saturday, February 6 at 8:00AM.

The Long Beach location is independently owned and operated by Jonathan and Jennifer Lawton, a husband-wife team, who will create 30 new jobs with the addition of the new grocery option for the city’s more eastern communities. According to the release, the chain offers the same brands as traditional grocery stores, such as Naked Juice, Tide, Tyson, Kraft and Kellogg’s but at a fraction of the price. This will be the fifth of 19 new stores set to open in Orange County and Los Angeles County by the end of the year.

“We are thrilled to open up a new Grocery Outlet in the Long Beach community and serve the local residents by providing exceptional service and an enjoyable shopping experience,” stated Jonathan Lawton, co-owner and operator of the Long Beach Grocery Outlet. “We love the Grocery Outlet model where you really get the opportunity to listen to and serve your customers. We want to make a positive impact on the lives of the local community by building relationships and improving access to affordable, high-quality products and food.”

Instead of restocking the same items on a monthly basis, Grocery Outlet searches for the best bargains among food distributors to line its shelves with whatever can be bought cheaply that week, according to this Los Angeles Times article, reporting on the chain’s arrival in Costa Mesa in December. The discounted items are usually found from food manufacturers needing to rid themselves of extra stock or from traditional supermarkets unable to carry items that are too close to their expiration date.

In the Times, Grocery Outlet Vice President Melissa Porter described the chain as “a T.J. Maxx but for food.”

The Long Beach Grocery Outlet has introduced itself to the community by partnering with Junior League of Long Beach, a women’s organization dedicated to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community using trained volunteers, according to the release. The store will donate $1 for every Like they receive on their Facebook page to the local nonprofit, up to $5,000. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Grocery Outlet team will also donate $1,000 worth of food to Food Finders.

The grand opening day will feature free games and activities, a fundraiser benefitting the Millikan High School Track and Field Team at 11:00AM, complimentary coffee and treats, a $5 off certificate for the first 100 customers and reusable bags given to the first 500 customers. For more information, visit the store’s Facebook page here.  

Long Beach Grocery Outlet is located at 6436 East Spring Street.

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Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].