Grocery Outlet Bargain Market will expand its California footprint with a Chatsworth location that’s set to open Thursday, March 25.
The Emeryville-based supermarket chain, which touts itself as “an extreme-value grocery retailer,” has more than 375 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The company’s markets are owned by independent operators based in the communities they serve. Christopher Herrera and his wife, Lisette, will run the Chatsworth store.
“We spent a year and a half learning about the company, and we got to work at a few neighboring stores,” the 37-year-old Northridge resident said. “We’ve worked in retail and have done volunteer work with our local church. This gave us the opportunity to blend our professional skills with our heart for the community.”
The 18,000-square-foot Chatsworth market at 9805 Mason Ave. was built from the ground up and will create 27 jobs.
Grocery Outlet didn’t reveal what its various positions pay, but data from Indeed.com show cashiers, front-end managers and merchandisers typically earn less than Los Angeles’ $14-an-hour minimum wage, which means those jobs will pay at least $14 an hour.
Other positions pay more, including replenishment associate ($17 an hour), retail merchandiser ($18.03) and retail assistant manager ($15.40).
To celebrate Thursday’s store opening, customers will have the chance to win $1,000 in groceries. They can enter the online contest beginning Thursday, March 25 by logging onto groceryoutlet.com/win-groceries-Chatsworth!
Grocery Outlet offers a broad range of products, ranging from fresh produce, meat and deli offerings, to a wide assortment of natural and organic foods. The markets also carry a large selection of beer, wine and health and beauty products.
Ultra-saturated market
Grocery Outlet’s low prices have allowed the company to compete in Southern California’s ultra-saturated market, which includes Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Smart & Final, Food 4 Less, Sprouts and Whole Foods, not the mention the expanded grocery sections at Walmart and Target.
This year marks the 75th year in business for the family-led company, which was founded in 1946. Grocery Outlet posted double-digit sales gains for fiscal 2020 and the company’s fourth-quarter earnings topped Wall Street expectations.
For the 14-week quarter ended Jan. 2, net sales surged 23.1% to $806.8 million, up from $655.5 million for the same period a year earlier. The company opened 35 new stores in fiscal 2020, closing out the year with 380 locations.
“Our financial performance throughout this year demonstrates the strength and flexibility of our business model,” CEO Eric Lindberg told analysts in a conference call earlier this month. “We work closely with our supplier partners and leveraged our operational agility to meet consumer needs.”
