A supermarket in North Dallas is closing temporarily to give itself a refresh: Natural Grocers, the Colorado-based chain and the largest family-operated natural and organic grocery, will expand and remodel its Preston-Forest store at 11661 Preston Rd.
According to a release, the store, which has been open for more than a decade, will temporarily close on January 30, and reopen as a "bigger, better, and more modern shopping experience" in mid-March.
For customers, this means more than having a bigger, better, and more modern shopping experience. In a word: markdowns.
To make the renovation go quickly, the store will host a special "everything must go" sale starting January 16 and running through closing day on January 30.
The entire supplement and body care departments will be 35 percent off, and the rest of the store will be 25 percent off.
Natural Grocers was founded in 1955 by husband-and-wife Philip and Margaret Isely with a goal of empowering health and wellness. There are now 159 stores in 20 states.
Natural Grocers stores are smaller than mega-stores like Whole Foods, but everything they stock is consciously healthy, including a produce department that is entirely organic, and yet often cheaper than Whole Foods.
They're also good to their employees and environmentally proactive: They don't provide bags, either plastic or paper, although you're allowed to use their leftover shipping boxes if you've forgotten to bring your own.
Natural Grocers Co-President Kemper Isely says in a statement that they never like closing stores, even temporarily, but in this case, it made the most sense.
"While we prefer to not close stores temporarily, doing so is the most efficient way to expand and renovate quickly," Isely says. "During this time, our Preston & Forest [staff] will help with the remodel and work at other local stores."
Beyond the bigger and better shopping experience mentioned above, improvements will include:
- a footprint 40 percent larger than the original
- a contemporary store layout
- new Nutrition Education Center
- expanded 100-percent organic produce section
- expanded grab-and-go
- expanded health and body care
- expanded frozen meat section
- more efficiently designed, single-line queue checkout experience
"When the opportunity came to expand our Preston & Forest store, we knew this was the perfect time to give our customers a fresh, more modernized shopping experience, so the new store will have the same set up and flow as our newest stores," Isely says. "We look forward to welcoming our customers back to the store, but in the meanwhile they will receive the same high-quality groceries and knowledgeable customer service at our other locations."
The chain has three other Dallas locations: in Richardson, Casa Linda, and Coppell. And as a thank you, the store will hand out coupon books to Preston & Forest customers which can be redeemed at other locations between January 31 and March 14, with discounts on Preston & Forest bestsellers such as 12-packs of Waterloo Sparkling Water, Siete Tortilla Chips, and Natural Grocers Brand Olive Oil, as well as a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $50.
