Grocery Stores

The Trader Joe's grocery chain, which has long cultivated a funky neighborhood vibe, is going national and opening bigger stores. Will communities still love a big box TJs?

The "food deserts" problem is receiving heightened attention following the release of the USDA's locator map. But this analysis relies on the suspect premise that suburban supermarkets are superior to small, walkable urban foodsellers.

The New York Times reports that retailers more used to selling aspirin and greeting cards are now offering more elaborate grocery options.

Supermarkets are moving in to spaces vacated by department stores in malls, which until recently were too costly for grocery stores to rent.

Activists who want to solve the problem of "food deserts" in underserved areas push for co-ops and and independent grocery stores. But would large chains like WalMart be a better solution?

"Indoor positioning systems" are getting closer to reality, placing products at your fingertips by tracking them down within the store.

Grist's food editor visits Detroit, where the lack of grocery stores has inspired a number of innovative, locally-grown food projects.

A new study shows a significant increase in planned new retail stores over the past three months, and discounters and grocery stores are leading the way.

Typically thought of as a war to protect small businesses in communities from being swallowed up by a giant, the local opposition to Wal-Mart stores is often funded secretly by other major grocery chains.

To survive, neighborhoods need to be commercially viable. A group called the Food Trust believes grocery stores are a good starting point for creating that economic climate.

A major grocer in Ohio is trying to keep some of its smaller stores open in areas that would otherwise be food deserts. But profits are hard to come by, and stores continue to move out of town.

Retail Traffic Magazine reports that grocery stores are increasingly moving into the spaces vacated by big box and chain retailers.

Large supermarkets in San Francisco are being replaced with higher-end specialty grocers, and some say it's a bad thing for many customers.

The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) has provided $42 million in grants and loans to finance 58 locally-owned grocery stores, combating fresh grocery shortages in areas of rural and urban Pennsylvania.

For years, the sizes of grocery stores have grown increasingly to provide a greater variety to the consumer. Andrew Martin explains why retailers have now begun opening smaller stores instead.

San Francisco's Tenderloin district- notoriously seedy and poor- is also one the densest neighborhoods in the city, and greatly in need of fresh produce and groceries. City officials are trying to attract a store, but it's a tough sell.

Pennsylvania is putting its money where its mouth is with the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a $120 million fund to encourage inner-city groceries.

The City of Palo Alto, CA concludes that grocery stores are a lynchpin of walkable neighborhoods, and votes to establish new "grocery" zoning districts.