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Happy birthday Kylie Kowalczyk!

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Times Leader No. 1 in audience in Luzerne County

<p>Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort isn&#8217;t a typical grocery store.</p><p>In fact, it isn&#8217;t really a grocery store at all. It&#8217;s more akin to an indoor farmers market, and its focus is similar &#8212; getting products directly from the source to consumers.</p><p>The store&#8217;s mission is just one recent shopping trend recognized by the Food Marketing Institute, a national advocacy organization for food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers.</p><p>Consumers are looking for fresher, less-processed foods in stores, according to the group&#8217;s <a href="http://www.fmi.org/docs/default-source/webinars/fmi-2016-us-grocery-shopper-trends-overview-webinar5ce7030324aa67249237ff0000c12749.pdf?sfvrsn=2" target="_blank">2016 consumer trends study</a>.</p><p>The institute also found:</p><p>&#8226; Most shoppers select a primary grocery store for lowest prices.</p><p>&#8226; More consumers are shopping at non-traditional grocery retailers.</p><p>&#8226; More people share shopping duties than ever before.</p><p>&#8226; In the 40 years since the organization started tracking consumer demographics, three times more men are sharing in the household cooking duties.</p><p>&#8226; Online grocery shopping is gaining in popularity, and millennials are driving the push, including online-only shopping, using apps while shopping, and looking up recipes while shopping.</p><p>&#8220;FMI has been tracking trends in terms of grocery shopping for over 40 years. But what we noticed, in recent years, is a fundamental shift in who is shopping, and why they are shopping, and exactly how they are shopping that&#8217;s beginning to challenge some of the traditional vocabulary in our traditional ways and categories of the way which we have understood shoppers,&#8221; David Fikes, an executive with the organization, said during a presentation on the findings last year.</p><p>Fikes said the major shift has been from the traditional primary shopper to the co-shopping experience, in which multiple people in the household share grocery duties.</p><p>In its business model of appealing directly to consumers, Chic Chic Marketplace tries to take the middle man out of the equation.</p><p>The business, owned by Jessica DalSanto Zielen and Megan Mould, started as an online venture in November 2015 and now has a storefront on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort. The market stemmed from their startup, The Soup Chic, in which they make an array of grab-and-go, seasonal dishes for the masses. They now sell their product at the marketplace.</p><p>The business has a delivery area from Wilkes-Barre to Harveys Lake, and customers can order online. In fact, Zielen said she prefers that customers order in advance so she can tell her suppliers exactly what she needs, ensuring there are no leftover products at the store.</p><p>That&#8217;s part of the movement Zielen believes is catching on locally with eco-conscious consumers. She also said the economic and community impact of shopping local is greater than most would think.</p><p>&#8220;Historically we are an agricultural area,&#8221; she said. &#8220;People think they&#8217;ll always be able to get (fresh produce) here. But if we&#8217;re going to keep it, we have to support it.&#8221;</p><p>Frank Carone also has seen the same shift in purchasing trends within his own grocery store. Carone is co-owner of Carone&#8217;s Markets and chairman of the ShurSave group, a purchasing cooperative of 12 locally owned grocery stores in Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>He said the store has always offered organic items such as produce, but recently the ShurSave group has started selling a product line called Full Circle, which features pre-packaged items with organic ingredients.</p><p>Carone said his stores have been offering the products for 18 months, and the line is popular with customers.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had tremendous success with it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m actually surprised at how the organic products appeal to such a wide range of people. We&#8217;re looking to grow that at ShurSave.&#8221;</p><p>While customers want the freshest and least-processed foods available, they want access to those products in the quickest and most efficient way.</p><p>Darlene Medico, of Plains Township, has been a customer of Chic Chic Marketplace for the past five years. She said she &#8220;rarely goes a week without ordering&#8221; food from the business. She mostly purchases prepared meals from The Soup Chic side of the business, but also picks up items from the marketplace a few times a week.</p><p>&#8220;I think they have a uniqueness,&#8221; she said. &#8220;When I go there, I know I&#8217;m going to leave with finished product, and I know the quality is there. At the grocery store, I&#8217;m getting products there and I have to go home and make (a meal).&#8221;</p><p>Carone and Zielen said they agree that convenience is important to shoppers. Zielen said customers at her business can order food online, allowing them to purchase items and plan from the comfort of their homes.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an alternative to grocery shopping,&#8221; she said. &#8220;You can order online and have your order prepared for pickup.&#8221;</p><p>Carone said he believes the uptick in popularity of prepared foods is a result of customers valuing convenience over cost.</p><p>&#8220;Convenience items are very important, prepared meals are very important,&#8221; Carone said. &#8220;(People are) spending less time preparing the meal in the kitchen; we&#8217;ve got to be ready for that.&#8221;</p><p>Carone said local grocers are feeling the crunch when it comes to competition from other non-traditional grocery sources, such as superstores, convenience marts and dollar stores. He said he believes the ShurSave stores&#8217; customer service keeps people coming back.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re able to interact with the customer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s really a lifestyle. It&#8217;s 24-7. There are really no days off.&#8221;</p><p>As for technology, Carone said trying to figure out what to invest in can be difficult, especially for the smaller stores, because the investment can be costly.</p><p>&#8220;Technology moves just so fast. It just seems like every couple weeks, every couple months there&#8217;s a new way to shop through your phone or a website,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The hardest part with technology is what&#8217;s the fad and what&#8217;s going to stay.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rebecca Arent, of Wilkes-Barre, picks up an order as Jessica DalSanto Zielen rings it up at the Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort. Zielen, who co-owns the business, says customers can order food online, allowing them to buy items and plan from the comfort of their homes. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic2_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rebecca Arent, of Wilkes-Barre, picks up an order as Jessica DalSanto Zielen rings it up at the Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort. Zielen, who co-owns the business, says customers can order food online, allowing them to buy items and plan from the comfort of their homes. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_shopping-chart.jpg">
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<div class="neCaption">Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort is an alternative to grocery shopping, according to co-owner Jessica DalSanto Zielen. The business features locally sourced products. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic3_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort is an alternative to grocery shopping, according to co-owner Jessica DalSanto Zielen. The business features locally sourced products. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic4_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chic Chic Marketplace is located on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic4_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>Chic Chic Marketplace is located on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic1_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Shareena and Barry Bernstein, of Idetown, check out refrigerated items at Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort as co-owners Jessica DalSanto Zielen works the register and Megan Mould carries a box with the Bernsteins&#8217; order. Chic Chic began as an online venture in 2015 and now has a storefront on Wyoming Avenue. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_chicchic1_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>Shareena and Barry Bernstein, of Idetown, check out refrigerated items at Chic Chic Marketplace in Forty Fort as co-owners Jessica DalSanto Zielen works the register and Megan Mould carries a box with the Bernsteins&#8217; order. Chic Chic began as an online venture in 2015 and now has a storefront on Wyoming Avenue. (Fred Adams | For Times Leader) </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>&#8216;inNOVAtion&#8217;</strong></p><p>Coming April 30, our 48-page supplement devoted to the thriving business culture in Luzerne County.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Change at the store: Shifting shopping habits drive new strategies for selling groceries