The Downtown Grocery Outlet is Open!

Finally, a grocer has occupied the former Su Vianda space next to City Hall and is servicing the Downtown community. I swung by here a couple weeks ago and they did a great job with the place. It is clean and well organized both inside an out, the prices are reasonable, and the staff was friendly. I think Grocery Outlet will be an asset to the area. The icing on the cake is that the husband and wife owners were born and raised in San Jose.

For more info have a look at the press release below or check out this particular store's website over here.

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GROCERY OUTLET BARGAIN MARKET EXPANDS SAVINGS TO THE SAN JOSE AREA
WITH 5TH CITY LOCATION

Husband and Wife Owner/Operators to Host Grand Opening Celebration of Brand New Downtown San Jose Grocery Outlet on Saturday, November 3

Berkeley, CA – – Local husband and wife entrepreneurs Darren and Chevonne Johst are proud to announce the opening of their brand new Grocery Outlet store in downtown San Jose, California. The largest “extreme-value” grocer in the U.S., the Downtown San Jose Grocery Outlet is the third of three new Bay area locations to open this fall and the fifth location of the grocery brand in the city of San Jose. The Johst’s will host their free-to-the-public official Grand Opening celebration on November 3 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. San Jose residents are invited to attend the event to enjoy an array of fun, family entertainment, food and special prize giveaways.

"Grocery Outlet's move to open a new location in downtown San Jose was really predicated on the tremendous amount of email requests we received from residents," says Vice President of Real Estate, Marc Drasin. "After determining that the area was indeed a 'food desert,' we made the decision to bring in a more affordable shopping destination to downtown metropolitan San Jose."

San Jose State University students, residents and employees in the Downtown San Jose area can now expect to pay much less on brand name, quality foods and merchandise at the new Grocery Outlet. With over 165 independently-owned and operated store locations, including two additional locations that opened in Milpitas and Santa Clara in late September and October, Grocery Outlet continues to experience tremendous growth by consistently offering customers the opportunity to achieve considerable savings on brand names and high quality items.

Not only is Grocery Outlet expanding extreme savings in San Jose County and beyond, it’s also creating local job opportunities. The Johst’s have hired over 40 full-time and part-time employees to fill positions ranging from merchandisers and cashiers, to department managers and leads.  Many of these new employees are local students attending the nearby university and city colleges.

The brand-new Grocery Outlet will open in the space formerly occupied by Mercado Su Vianda, a Mexican market that has stood vacant for several years. The shopping center, situated on East Santa Clara and Seventh Streets next to San Jose City Hall and across the street from Horace Mann Elementary, also boasts another venerable family-owned business, Lee’s Sandwiches, and the very popular Tung Kee Noodle House.

Both born and raised in San Jose, the Johst’s along with their five children, are thrilled to have the opportunity to own and operate their own business in the heart of the city they have called home their entire lives - Grocery Outlet’s "family" ethos echoes the Johst’s sentiment. With an extensive background in grocery retail, Darren entered the industry at a very early age as a bagger for Safeway at the age of 17. Working his way up over the next 14 years, Darren eventually became one of the youngest Store Managers in the company. Darren’s deep understanding of the grocery business complements Chevonne’s degree from Santa Clara University and background in organizational analysis and business management. Together, the couple is looking forward to ownership success by creating a customer-friendly environment where real savings and quality merchandise are easily obtained under one roof.

At approximately 22,000-square-feet total, the completely renovated space will feature nine spacious aisles of product offerings, including an expanded Grab & Go section for students and nearby professionals, a high-quality selection of USDA-certified meats, fully stocked organic, beauty, health, and fresh produce departments, as well as an enhanced wine and beer section.

An institution amongst bargain-seeking loyalists, Berkeley-based Grocery Outlet specializes in opportunistic sourcing, buying discounted close-outs of excess inventories from national brand-name manufacturers and private-labels. With over 170 independently-owned and operated store locations, including two additional locations that opened in Milpitas and Santa Clara in late September and October, Grocery Outlet continues to experience tremendous growth by consistently offering customers the opportunity to achieve considerable savings on brand names and high quality items.

The Johst’s are also passionate about giving back to their community and look forward to benefiting local non-profit organizations. With Halloween right around the corner, the Johst’s are hosting a special in-store “Trick or Treat” costume event for the over 600 students of Horace Mann Elementary. From 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 31, trick-or-treating students are invited to visit special “goodie” stations located throughout the store to fill their bags with holiday treats, crayons and coloring books. In December, a joint venture between the Downtown San Jose Grocery Outlet, Olinder Food Group and Roosevelt Neighborhood Association will help provide gift certificates to struggling families redeemable for grocery items to make their special holiday meals.

For more information on the San Jose Grocery Outlet, please visit: www.groceryoutlet.com or visit their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DowntownSanJoseGO.