Big box recycled

Grocery customers with a bent for treasure hunting soon will have a food-filled terrain to explore in Reno.

Grocery Outlet Inc., a privately held, 118- store firm with stores in seven western states, is opening an outlet in the old Kmart building at Kietzke and Peckham Lanes.

The firm plans a late spring or early summer opening, says Jon Wylie, vice president of marketing for the Calfornia-based Grocery Outlet.

Grocery Outlet, which already has two stores in northern Nevada one in Sparks and one in Carson City is bullish on the area, says Wylie.

The company is also in a growth spurt, with eight new stores announced for the Northwest and northern California since November.

In addition to Reno, Grocery Outlet plans new stores in Oregon,Washington, and Idaho.

The stores, dubbed extreme value grocers, are managed by operators, who act as sales agents for the corporation.

Each store operator runs, hires,manages, and places orders for a store, and earns a commission on sales.

Grocery Outlet owns the inventory and does the upfront work for the outlet, getting the store ready for business.

Most operators run just one store, says Wylie, and most are husband/wife teams.

The family orientation helps with the long hours required.

Typically, the stores are open from 8 a.m.

to 9 p.m.

six days a week and from 9 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

on Sundays.

Reno's new outlet will be operated by Chris Crane,who is relocating from a store near Santa Cruz.His brother, Scott Crane, operates the Sparks Grocery Outlet at 2020 Oddie Blvd., making the family connection for this location.

Occupying upwards of 18,000 square feet, says Wylie, the new outlet will employ from 30 to 40 people.

And who are the treasure hunters who frequent Grocery Outlets? Middle-income, says Wylie, from all walks of life.

Some gravitate to the stores for the thrill of the hunt; some come for the budget-friendly bargains.

Inventory varies, as the store stocks its shelves from surplus inventory, package changes, firms' attempts to sell off fast to meet end-of-year sales goals, and other bulk opportunities.

Brokers on the company's lease were Chris Waizmann, vice president of retail leasing for the Trammell Crow Co., and John Mulder, a Premier Realty agent.