Newest Duane Reade store features expanded fresh foods, grocery items

NEW YORK Duane Reade has announced the opening of a new 24-hour store in Chelsea that reflects the latest phase in its ongoing transformation and features an expanded fresh food and grocery offering.

The store, located at 16th Street and 8th Avenue, houses an expanded food section that comprises 40% of the 15,000-sq.-ft., two-level store. In addition to single-serve entrees, customers can now buy fresh produce, including bagged salad and packaged celery and carrots, along with freshly packed deli meats. Breakfast items will include fresh-cut fruit, baked goods, as well as self-serve Starbucks coffee. The store also offers more than 500 SKUs of frozen convenience items such as boneless chicken breasts, hamburger patties, frozen vegetables and appetizers.

The recently introduced DR Delish exclusive food and beverage brand will be featured as well an expanded array of organic grocery items. Fresh food deliveries will be made daily.

The addition of fresh food and more groceries eventually will be rolled out to other select locations, according to Duane Reade.

The new Chelsea store also features the company’s fifth walk-in medical care location, dubbed “Doctor on Premises. The physician-staffed “Doctor on Premises” locations are operated by New York Walk-In Medical P.C. in association with Consumer Health Services.

Shoppers will also find at this new store the new “Look Boutique” offering many prestige beauty brands, facials, manicures and brow-shaping services. This store-within-a-store prestige beauty concept marks the retailer’s fourth “Look Boutique” location.

As previously reported, giant rival Walgreens is looking to acquire Duane Reade’s 250-plus stores in a deal valued at $1.08 billion, including the assumption of debt.