Grocery shopping used to have the stigma of being a tedious chore. While some people still feel that way, those people have largely switched to delivery and apps to get food to their house. But for the people who enjoy grocery shopping, choosing their food options is a pleasant experience that serves as a reprieve from daily life. As grocery stores recognize that many people enjoy cruising the aisles and picking their ingredients, food shopping has officially become part of the experience economy. In response, luxury grocers are tapping into this phenomenon and creating desirable environments that lure in shoppers.

While some shoppers rely on delivery, data from 2025 shows that despite the rise of quick delivery apps, 88% of shoppers today prefer to go to the store in person. In fact, 86% say they’ll pay more for a better grocery experience. This is leading to the rapid expansion of luxury grocers across the country, as shoppers view their time in the grocery store as a coveted escape from the rigors of everyday life. 

 

Gourmet Grocery Stores Are Opening Across the Globe

Across the world, gourmet grocery stores are opening with a quickness.

“These spaces are as beautiful as five-star hotels, with rigorously curated shelves offering not just high-end organic produce, but also preprepared meals, coffees and smoothies,” the Times reports. “The founders have made them places to see and be seen, rather than freezing cold, fluorescent-lit aisles to scurry down.”

Sprouts, an upscale grocery chain from Phoenix, just got the green light to expand to New England with its cool drive-thru coffee concept, allowing customers to grab a latte without even leaving their vehicle. New York City’s Meadow Lane, “which feels more like entering a spa than a supermarket,” has art on the walls, wood-paneled shelves, and a section for kitchen decoration products like Martha Stewart’s cookbooks. They also have an in-house floral program and rent out the space for panels, lectures, and dinners. And of course, the king of luxury grocers is Erewhon, located in SoCal, which has been doing some expansion in a unique way: By shipping across the country. While some may say this sounds outlandish, the store is so popular that people regularly drop over $20 for their celebrity-curated smoothies. 

Internationally, France’s La Grande Épicerie looks like a luxe library that stocks jams rather than books, while Greece’s Ipirotissa boasts black decor that makes it resemble a private gym.

 

Grocery Shopping is Part of the Experience Economy

 

When grocery shopping shifts from an errand to an experience, it becomes desirable. That’s why companies are doing their best to transition grocery shopping from a “have-to” task to a “want-to” one. To change this, they’re creating the type of environment that anyone will want to hang out in. 

In an experiential grocery store, there’s an emphasis on design and aesthetics with strong natural light and warm colors. Frequent events make the experience special, rather than something you have to do regularly.

“Traditional grocery stores are ‘food casinos’—window-less, closed environments where you go in and spend a bunch of money and you come out and don’t know what time it is,” said Ariell Ilunga, the founder of Carla’s Fresh Market in Los Angeles. “It feels like you are in the lobby of a boutique hotel,” she said. “But you’re also able to access a $1.99 can of beans next to a very craft-made vinegar.”  

In a luxury store, the barriers between displays are broken down. Each display creates a unique experience, rather than just an aisle of food. Complementary items are often bundled into meal solutions or lifestyle occasions to make options easier.

“Today’s consumers are increasingly seeking not just groceries, but an experience—something enjoyable, engaging, and even inspiring,” Mass Market Retailers shared. “Consumers are looking to the perimeter of Fresh, Deli, and Meat, as well as the in-store experience, to determine where and how they shop.”

 

Grocery shopping is winning over an unlikely population: Gen Z

Gone are the days when grocery shopping only pertained to older people and stay-at-home parents. Instead, stores are targeting a new population and having a lot of success bringing in crowds of Gen Z buyers.

“Gen Zers and millennials are swimming in student debt and may never own homes, but they’re splurging on gut-healthy juices and rotisserie chickens,” the Wall Street Journal said. Gen Zers chronicle their grocery hauls on social media, which serves as excellent publicity for grocery stores and chains. They view grocery shopping as an analog hobby that turns away from an unhealthy obsession with everything digital. 

“Gen Zers like me long to move away from the digital, to return to simplicity and human connection,” Vogue India wrote. “We try to scrimmage our way back to an era where we weren’t over-reliant on technology.” 

 

We now know that 80% of shoppers believe the experience matters just as much as the product. In a landscape where food prices are high, there’s a sizable population that’s willing to pay a premium for a pleasant grocery shopping experience if they feel it adds value to their lives. 

Across the country, brands like Sprouts and Erewhon are finding ways to carefully expand, curating a grocery shopping experience that’s akin to being a member of a social club. As Gen Z plans their future with grocery shopping as an important component, brands must consider how they’ll tackle the next phase of their retail journey. For food companies looking to bring their business into the future, creating a store that’s a coveted destination is an important mission.