PORTLAND, OREGON - The days of rolling up to a convenience store and getting your fix of sugary treats are long gone. It’s a health-conscious market these days, and Oregon-based Green Zebra, a convenience store specializing in healthy goods, is expanding its footprint to cover the West Coast to meet rising consumer demand.
With offerings like plant-based and vegan items, Kombucha Slushies, local coffee, free-range meat, organic beer, and more, Green Zebra aims to redefine the convenience store experience to not only bolster health and wellness, but also improve the health of neighborhoods.
“We’re not trying to be the food police,” Founder Lisa Sedlar said to the Los Angeles Times. “But if healthy is your thing, we got it. People regularly tells us we are their pantry.”
Currently, Green Zebra is on track to build two dozen locations spanning from San Diego, California, to Seattle, Washington, by 2023, and has the goal of eventually establishing over 100 shops around the West Coast.
While each store is only 5,000 square feet, Green Zebra is also testing “micro-Zebra” outlets to offer shelved and refrigerated goods to new and existing markets.
While major chains like Walmart, Meijer, and Target have all debuted small-format stores in the past couple of years, is Green Zebra the true convenience store to watch in a burgeoning convenience market? And, as many remain leery of Whole Foods Market’s link to Amazon, will Green Zebra be the next local grocer-de-force? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest.
