Rouses Markets expands to New Orleans

The nation’s ninth largest independent grocer is expanding again, this time to the Big Easy’s downtown district.

Rouses Markets chief Donald Rouse announced Thursday that the family operation has purchased the former Sewell Cadillac Chevrolet building at 701 Baronne St. The site will be converted over the next 15 months into a 40,000-square-foot grocery.

“This area has been underserved,” Rouse said in a news release. “You have what’s referred to as the Arts District or the American Sector, the Lafayette Square community, the Warehouse District, Central City, the Lower Garden District, the CBD, the French Quarter and the Marigny – these are big residential and mixed residential and commercial neighborhoods without a major, large space grocery store.”

It’s not Rouses Markets first venture into New Orleans. The family business has a small store in the French Quarter on Royal Street.

However, Rouse said the latest site will be a flagship store for his family’s company.

“This will truly be one of the nicest urban grocery stores in the country,” he said in the release.

More than half of the 40,000 feet of downstairs shopping space will be dedicated to fresh food, according to Rouse. He said the store will feature local and jet-fresh seafood; chef-inspired prepared food; fresh sushi; fresh local, seasonal and organic produce; natural and organic products; prime meats cut to order by in-store butchers; homemade Cajun specialties prepared in-store; a Boar’s Head Deli; and a salad and olive bar.

Parking will be available on the first and second floors of the store.

Construction on the grocery store is expected to be completed by November or December of 2011.

At a ceremony attended by city officials, including New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Rouse told onlookers he’s looking forward to providing Saints tailgating around the store.

“Being only a few blocks from the Superdome, I expect a huge turnout on game days. And we will be able to deliver directly to fan’s tailgates,” he said.

The site for the grocery – a four-story building – was built in 1953 for Pontchartrain Motors. According to architect John Williams, who is designing the new Rouses Market, it is one of the original international-style buildings in the Crescent City.

Sewell Cadillac moved into the building in 1981. The site has been empty since 2007 when Sewell shuttered the dealership.

The Baronne Street location is Rouses’ 38th store. The family grocer will open its 36th store in August in Mathews. Ground has been broken on the 37th location in Lafayette.

Renovations are also under way at the Lockport Rouses store.

Work on the Lafayette and Lockport facilities should be complete by next summer.

The Thibodaux-based operation is managed by Donald and Tommy Rouse.

The Chain Store Guide recently named the company the nation’s third fastest growing supermarket chain.