The town was chosen to host the Marketplace, a new concept since their Signature store rolled into Texas in 1993, because Richmond is a tremendous growth area. Bill Breetz, president of Kroger’s southwest division, jokingly described the newest Kroger – the Marketplace – as “the Signature store on steroids.”

It is definitely amped - The Marketplace is 125,000 square feet of space created to offer customers a “one-stop shopping” experience. Located near the Waterside subdivision at Grand Parkway and Mason Road in Richmond, the store is close to home for many and seeks to help people get everything they need for their family and home in one location. It offers the Signature style grocery section which comprises about ½ the store, a furniture and home section, a Fred Meyer Jewelry store, a health clinic staffed by a nurse practitioner and physician’s assistant, a pharmacy, and a toy section with more than 1200 toys to choose from.

“Kroger Marketplace is a “tremendous” super store concept, partly because the retailer is adept at finding good wholesale buys and passing them on to the customer,” said Burt Flickinger, a grocery analyst at Strategic Resource Group. But, as the newest Kroger store opens in Texas some may wonder if it is meant to compete with the other top stores, Wal-Mart and H-E-B. “It will be a Three-way war between Kroger Marketplace, H-E-B Plus and Wal-Mart, and all three will be winners,” Flickinger said. The models for each store are quite different and each has their own specialty.

Kroger’s niche is in part due to being able to offer well known brand names as well as consistent high quality merchandise. The Home section will include Ashley Furniture and HD Designs, as well as appliances from Oster, Black & Decker and Kitchen Aid. Kroger even delivers furniture to the customer’s home.

There is a “Chef on the Run” section that offers prepared foods, a salsa bar with fresh salsa and guacamole made daily, a sushi bar, a seafood department with live lobsters, and even the meat department is complete with fresh-cut buffalo.

Another point of departure from their competitor stores has been an emphasis on beverage selection which the store continues with 1,675 varieties of wine, 500 varieties of beer and a create your own six-pack of specialty beers. There is also a make-it-yourself milkshake machine for those with a sweeter tooth. All this is available from 6am to 1am – Kroger’s convenient-for-all store hours.

Not only is the store convenient for Richmond residents, it is also bringing more than 350 jobs to the area. Kroger has held several job fairs since the summer and has drawn hundreds of applicants for the full and part time jobs posted.

“At Kroger, we study the community and the potential offerings to develop our stores to meet and exceed the expectations of our shoppers," Breetz said. The store draws on community feedback and wants to offer the services, layout and items their customers want. It truly is a thriving Marketplace with a tremendous variety and selection, all in a central location to meet your family and home needs.