Jewel-Osco to test small-store concept

MELROSE PARK, Ill. Jewel-Osco says it will open a new small-format store in the Chicago area later this year.

Dubbed “Urban Fresh,” the 16,000-square-foot store will open in the Lincoln Park section of Chicago this fall. The store will emphasize ready-to-go meals along with a selection of fresh meats, seafood and produce. Parent company Supervalu has not said whether the store would feature a pharmacy.

“The smaller-store format is an exciting complement to our larger, more traditional grocery stores,” said Keith Nielsen, president of Jewell-Osco, which currently has 32 stores in the Chicago area.

Urban Fresh will be the latest in a growing number of small-format grocery stores launched in the United States during the past year. Tesco currently has 65 Fresh & Easy stores on the West Coast and Safeway opened its first “The Market” store in Long Beach, Calif. in late May. And Wal-Mart plans to open four small “Marketside” grocery stores in Phoenix this fall.