Small Town Grocers Disappearing

Small towns face formidable challenges in retaining grocery stores, and their communities suffer and decline when the last local food store closes.Yet replacing unprofitable small stores with a co-op, as is sometimes proposed, does not mitigate most of the obstacles to profitability and keeping the store open. 

A recent news story from La Crosse, Wis., highlighted these difficult challenges—including low sales, low margins, and less-skilled staff: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/small-towns-struggle-to-keep-attract-grocery-stores/article_b8fb0962-6e6b-599e-ac40-c8c453c35050.html. 

As the report does acknowledge, “Cooperatives, community-owned stores, buyers clubs and farmers markets can also provide food access where a store may not work.” Ironically, however, one town’s interesting solution, reported in the story, resulted from the collaboration of the owners of three previously separate local stores, but the local, small natural/organic food co-op was not part of the venture.