Market 32
Opened: June 26, 2026
Hello and welcome to a jam-packed weekend of news and updates! Today and tomorrow are going to be very busy with a lot to see, so be sure to check out the full list down at the bottom of the post. This is going to be a long one, so get ready. We're here in the Capital Region of New York, about seven miles north of Albany, to visit Northeast Grocery's flagship store. The group owns Price Chopper, Market 32, and Tops stores, and until recently, also one Market Bistro location. Market Bistro was a precursor to the Market 32 format, introduced in 2014 as a food service-heavy upscale store in a large building. Ultimately, the formula was refined and adjusted to create Market 32, and this was the only Market Bistro. This summer, Northeast Grocery wrapped up a major remodel to turn this Market Bistro into a Market 32. Let's begin by seeing some pictures of Market Bistro from the summer of 2023!
Opened: June 26, 2026
Owner: Northeast Grocery
Previous Tenants: Price Chopper > Market Bistro (2014-2026)
Cooperative: none
Location: 873 Loudon Rd, Latham, NY
Photographed: July 3, 2023 and September 28, 2026
Right away, we can tell that this isn't the average Price Chopper. (Incidentally, I know these pictures are small, but I had to do something so this post didn't go on forever. Just click on any to enlarge!) You enter on the left side of the store to the incredible grand aisle, with a full-service Chef's Grill restaurant in the front-left corner and a huge variety of food service concessions on either side. We're talking the regular hot food and salad choices alongside pizza, a kosher deli, a fish fry, a burger bar, a sub shop, a burrito bar, a barbecue counter, and a sushi bar. A large seating area was in the middle, and at the back was the deli, the sprawling cheese department, and even a dedicated Italian Market with everything from cured meats to upscale olive oils.
Once we leave the grand aisle, the supermarket is much more like a regular, if very impressive, grocery store. We've got seafood and bakery at the back of the grand aisle and floral at the front, and produce is in the first grocery aisle. Meat lines the back wall, with dairy/frozen on the right and pharmacy in the front-right corner. In the renovation, none of that changed; only the grand aisle.
The huge selection of this store extended beyond the grand aisle, though, with a much larger international selection in the grocery aisles than most Price Choppers and Market 32s have. Part of that is the sheer size: this store measures about 90,000 square feet.
Does that "fresh meats" sign above look familiar to you? It did to me, and that's because we've seen the same decor in another store -- The Food Emporium in Marlboro, NJ. Since they're clearly not related in any way, I assume it was simply the same design firm.
Okay, so there's your primer on Market Bistro. By the way, this store was previously just a regular Price Chopper that the company expanded and extensively remodeled in 2014. Now, it's undergone another extensive remodel to bring it back to the Market 32 format that we're familiar with from plenty of other locations.
First impressions are obviously very different here now. It clearly looks just like other Market 32 locations, and Northeast Grocery has stripped all of the unique signage and decor from the space -- and even some of the features that made Market Bistro special. Some of them, such as the cooking school and Chef's Grill restaurant, are logical to remove. But overall, the store -- while very nice, undoubtedly -- feels soulless and corporate today compared to the previous fun, inviting Market Bistro atmosphere.
All of the previous foodservice options have now been condensed to the right side in the Foodfare department, and it looks like most (but not all) of the various offerings are still here. Rather than the deluxe seating area that once dominated this side of the store, the centerpiece here is now the new Patisserie, a large and gorgeous island with cakes, pastries, and other baked goods. (The rest of the bakery is still on the back wall.) Ben & Bill's kosher deli remains on the left side, but now it's paired with a Starbucks instead of the pizza counter, which has been moved over to Foodfare. The biggest change is in the back -- the Italian Market has been removed entirely, the cheese shop has been condensed to just part of the deli department, and the deli counter itself has been shrunk.
It's not that any of this is unattractive -- in fact, if this were a new-build store, I'd be quite impressed, it's really nice -- but it's disappointing to see all the fun, unique characteristics of Market Bistro disappearing. On the other hand, it's not just Northeast Grocery. Nearly every big-chain supermarket has greatly downsized their food service and in-store dining options in recent years.
Once we get out of the grand aisle, the changes are less stark, and in fact I do like the look of the rest of the store. I find the Market 32 decor, when done well like this, really appealing.
Though the grand aisle got major work, the rest of the store mostly got cosmetic updates. You can see here that most of the fixtures remain, and some of the decor even does, such as the barn with the gears over the milk.
They've also left the "health & wellness" department sign next to the pharmacy.
Overall, I do think this is a really nice store, but it's lost a lot of its personality and charm in this renovation. It makes sense that Northeast Grocery wants to standardize what they're doing, and nothing here is that different from what I see other chains doing. It seems to still be a busy store and in great condition, and I think it's keeping its competitors on their toes, too. When I visited last week, the Hannaford across the street was also getting a renovation. Here's a look at the rest of the posts for this weekend!
Saturday
- ALDI and Whole Foods each open New England locations
- Star Market renovates a Boston-area store
- Northeast Grocery rebrands a flagship store near Albany
Sunday
- New independent grocers open in the Hudson Valley and Philadelphia
- Sprouts opens new stores in New Jersey and New York
- DeCicco & Sons enters Connecticut
I was wondering when this would come to fruition. This remodel was supposed to take place last year but was suspended until this year.
ReplyDeleteAlso this is the third space PC had in this plaza. The first being where Marshalls is, and the second where Raymour & Flanigan Furniture sits.