Choice Aims to Reinvent the Convenience Store
By Greg Lindenberg on Apr. 04, 2017DENVER -- Choice, a new 24/7 "market concept," will open this summer in Denver. It will combine the operating hours, short transaction times and product diversity found at traditional convenience stores with a fresh, healthy and local production selection, the developers said.
By providing made-to-order meals, produce, coffee, snacks and drinks in addition to toiletries and daily essentials, Choice will “fill the gap between restaurants and grocery stores and create a one-stop shop for customers that most traditional c-stores and fast-casual restaurants can’t provide,” the developers said.
Click through for more details on the concept and to see renderings of the store …
Choice’s opportunity
“As sales from fuel and cigarettes continue to decline, convenience stores are quickly becoming a destination for food, but the product selection at most stores does not align to consumers’ growing preference for fresh and healthy options,” said Mike Fogarty, founder and CEO of Choice. “That’s when the opportunity for Choice really clicked for me. At Choice, we’re reimagining what a convenience store can and should be in today’s modern era.”
Fogarty is currently procurement and packaging manager for The WhiteWave Foods Co., a consumer packaged food and beverage company that manufactures, markets, distributes and sells branded plant-based foods and beverages, coffee creamers and beverages, premium dairy products and organic produce.
“We want to create a brand and an experience that Denver and a lot of other cities are lacking—a small community market that customers can trust, feel welcome and know they’re getting great products that meet their needs,” he said. “We’re advocating for a more healthy lifestyle, but not dictating it. We’re offering more choices and empowering customers to choose what works best for them. At the end of the day, we’re really here for our customers and our community.”
Choice’s choices
Choice’s selections will include made-to-order meals, groceries, produce and grab-and-go items covering a range of diverse flavors, ingredients and dietary needs. The store plans to offer freshly prepared sandwiches, salads, bowls, lattes, organic smoothies and coffee drinks.
Some of Choice’s local purveyors include meats from Tender Belly, Continental Sausage, Redbird Chicken, Elevation Meats, coffee from Corvus, freshly baked bagels and breads delivered daily from Rosenberg's Bagels and City Bakery, fountain and bottled soda from Rocky Mountain Soda Co., local beer, wines, kombucha on tap and more.
Choice’s omnichannel options
Choice will provide an omnichannel user experience through its technology platform. Customers will be able to order from self-serve kiosks within the store, order and pay via an online or mobile device and use self-checkout terminals.
In addition, Choice has partnered with Uber Eats to offer 24-hour food delivery and Instacart to provide grocery delivery.
Choice’s culinary resume
Kevin Ward, formally from the Long Peaks Pub in Longmont, Colo., and the Purple Pig in Chicago, will be the general manager and lead all culinary activities for Choice. “Choice is the perfect fit for Denver; it’s fast, casual and gourmet all in one concept,” said Ward. “We plan on sourcing locally and responsibly, while cooking as much as possible in-house.”
Supporting the Denver community is also a key element of Choice. The market plans to donate leftover food to local food banks, partner with local charities to provide free Thanksgiving dinner to those in need and use compostable packaging. In addition to supporting Denver’s economy by sourcing locally, Choice will offer its employees competitive wages, paid time off and other benefits to support their success and well-being.
Choice’s plans
Choice is slated to open in late summer 2017 in downtown Denver, on the ground floor of SkyHouse Denver apartments. With this store as the flagship location, Choice plans to expand first throughout Colorado and then the western United States.