Stop & Shop woos shoppers with expanded, cheaper hot bar assortment

• Stop & Shop is overhauling the assortment of foods available on the hot bars it operates in more than 250 supermarkets, the Ahold Delahize-owned chain announced Tuesday.
• The updated self-service stations will feature selections intended to “make dinner easier, more flavorful, and more affordable for busy shoppers,” Stop & Shop said.
• The grocer is also lowering the price it charges for hot bar items to $9.99 per pound, a $1-per-pound reduction that Stop & Shop said will not affect the quality or breadth of its offerings.

Dive Insight:

Stop & Shop cast its decision to spiff up its hot bars as a way to connect with shoppers who are increasingly turning to grocery stores to satisfy their desire for ready meals.

The chain cited data released last year by FMI — The Food Industry Association indicating that grocery shoppers are growing more interested in buying deli-prepared foods in supermarkets in place of restaurant meals. More than a quarter of shoppers who took part in the survey said they buy deli-prepared foods from grocers instead of going to a restaurant, up from 12% in 2017.

“As customers balance increasingly busy schedules, convenient meal solutions at their local grocery store have become more important than ever,” Stop & Shop Chief Merchant Lee Nicholson said in a statement. “Our hot bar updates provide more variety, strong value and the convenience shoppers are looking for when it’s time to put dinner on the table.”

Stop & Shop is adding sous-vide proteins and classic sides to go with items it already offers, such as fried chicken, bone-in wings and boneless chicken. New entree choices include black pepper steak, Thai coconut chicken thighs and white wine mushroom chicken thighs, while the sides the grocer is rolling out include mashed potatoes, buttered corn and collard greens.

The updated prepared meal options will be available from 4-7 p.m. at the more than 250 Stop & Shop stores that currently feature hot bars, with the selection varying by location, Stop & Shop said. The chain runs about 350 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Stop & Shop is updating its prepared food selections as the supermarket chain presses ahead with efforts to rejuvenate its performance after years of lackluster results.

The chain renovated over 30 stores last year and has taken steps to lower prices in the majority of its locations. Those changes followed Stop & Shop’s move to close 32 underperforming stores in 2024.