La Grande Epicerie, a new look

La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marché is a gourmet mecca and embraces commercial aspects as well as tradition and nouvelle cuisine. Explore La Grande Epicerie in Paris (FR).

Mom and Pop on the Internet, Emmas Enkel

The Emmas Enkel concept was conceived with the intention of reawakening the traditional corner shop experience with a contemporary twist. The vision was the return to a more emotional and less anonymous form of shopping after the displacement of small grocery stores by large discount stores and major retail chains. They combine the best from the good old ‘mom and pop’ shops with the benefits of modern technology and new media. Visit Emmas Enkel in Düsseldorf(GE).

Causses, inspired by the values of the slow food philosophy

Causses works with producers who have a renowned expertise and adhere to its charter that imposes a certain level of quality in their production and manufacturing process. Discover Causses in Paris.

A old-fashioned corner store with a modern twist

The small format stores, Stockbox's Grocers (Seattle, US) are placed throughout urban areas, to offer fresh produce, meal solutions, and grocery staples. Explore this convenience store

French Self-Serve Wine Tanks

Astrid Terzian introduced this concept that hearkens back to a bygone era when wine would arrive in Paris shops in tonneaux and consumers would bring their own flagons to fill. But today, Terzian says, she started this scheme in fall 2008 to fill a niche, tapping into two key themes, environmental awareness and the economy. The elimination of packaging mass means that the wine can be shipped much more efficiently from a cost and carbon perspective.

The cost-savings are passed on to the consumer in the form of low prices of 1.45 euros/liter. She installed her first machine in June 2009 at the Cora supermarket in Dunkerque and now has them installed in eight supermarkets in France.

Source: LSA

Shaping a farmers market experience

The Virtual Farmer's Market (UK) is the brainchild of Marcus Carter. He wanted to share the farmer's market experience with more people so they too could share his passion for exquisitely produced artisan food & drink. Bringing the experience into peoples homes seemed the ideal way to do this as many people do not have the time, or the means, to visit their local farmer's market. The online Virtual Farmer's Market was born. Seeing the face behind the food has never been more important, and the Virtual Farmer's Market allows shoppers to 'meet' the producer via video streams on the website.

Source: Virtual Farmers Market

Food is more sacred than commerce

Will this new branch of Eataly (New York, US) on 5th Avenue be a game changer?

Eataly is nothing short of epic, a giant Slow Food mecca of all things Italy. At its core, it's a fancy Italian grocery store with individual retail departments offering the best of everything (pastry, bread, a butcher, a fishmonger, pasta, cured meats, cheese, hand-made mozzarella, etc.), some of which are directly connected to their own sit-down restaurants. And then: Gelato, a coffee bar, panini, pizza, a wine store, a bookstore, housewares, a cooking school by Lidia Bastianich.
"It is not just a market, but a food experience"

Source: Eataly

A tasty chocolate shopping experience

Zaabär (Brussels, Belgium) was created in 2007 by Jean-Francois Decarpentrie. "Zaabär" the name is inspired by the Bazaar of Istanbul. The association of Belgian chocolate with spices from around the globe offers a rich source of tastes and emotions. More than an innovation in terms of flavor, Zaabär also innovates by creating, in October 2008, the Zaabär Factory Shop, space dedicated to chocolate, both shop and workshop. This space of 600 m2 wonderfully designed invites visitors to explore the craft of chocolate through its workshop. Since 2009, Zaabär organizes tours and chocolate courses in its space. Companies, schools, tourists and individuals are invited to attend courses to learn how to make truffles, bars or spicy chocolate shapes. Zaabär sells its chocolates throughout the world, Belgium, of course, but also in France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan ... in a network of delicatessens and quality confectionery.

Source: Zaabar

A convenience store for upscale shoppers

Chez Jean (Paris, France) is a convenience store, a cafe, a top-up shop and an emergency dinner ingredients shop. Launched in February 2009, it is the outcome of collaboration between the Casino Group and Relay. As well as functioning as a reasonably upscale convenience store, Chez Jean shoppers can benefit from unlimited free coffee with their breakfast, phone sockets for recharging mobiles, an in-store cash dispenser and free wi-fi access. At the heart of the store is a newspaper, lottery and flowers counter, which wraps around a heavily clad pillar. The rest of the store is zoned by hue, with a light coloured area for fast food and assisted service for chilled or hot dishes, while the darker coloured area is for self-service grocery. For the French, the name Chez Jean imparts a feeling of warmth and familiarity, coupled with no-frills surroundings. This may be stretching the import of a couple words, but as a retail proposition that would find favour with urban workers, this is a format that does seem to service a need. Open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, this 1,485 sq ft shop is unlike anything else in the centre of a French city.

Source: Retail Week

Free samples

There are enough reasons not to buy a product. Its high price tag might tell our brain to refrain. It might not be of utmost importance. Or it might be new and unfamiliar. But who can resist a free try? One nibble or sip might be enough to succumb. sampling is selling indeed!