New Grocery Store Chain to Offer Drive-thru Grocery Pickup in 2017

HOUSTON, TX -- Farm Stores, a Florida-based chain of drive-thru grocery stores, has announced plans to open its first Houston area storefront by early 2017.

Robert Betts, area developer for Farm Stores in Houston, said the company is in lease negotiations and expects to open a storefront in Katy at the intersection of Greenhouse Road and Morton Road, before the end of March.

While most grocery store chains boast carbon footprints of 30,000-square feet or more, Farm Stores are as small as some efficiency apartments at roughly 650-square feet, and sell standard food items such as baked breads, prepared meals, milk, diapers, coffee, ice cream, cleaning supplies and more.

"It's all based on convenience," Betts said. "Houston lends itself well to this. It's a commuter environment – it rains, it's hot, it's very crowded and it's full of traffic, so everyone is looking for convenience."

Farm Stores has more than 40 stores scattered throughout Florida, according to its website.

The flashpoint of what many economists have called the grocery war in Houston, has expanded in recent years, to include San Antonio-based H-E-B, Kroger, Walmart, Fiesta, Aldi and Whole Foods, who all seem to be trying to find their niche among Houston’s ever expanding populace.

In 2015, H-E-B, Kroger, and Walmart all announced they were implementing curbside delivery services to their customers at some stores to make shopping less of a hassle for some.

The service allows shoppers to place orders online, and schedule a pick up time.

However, all of those services come at a cost to the consumer that can vary from store to store, but it hasn’t deterred shoppers from using the service.

Farm Stores, who according to Betts is planning to open a total of three Farm Stores in Houston in 2017, will launch an iOS- and Android-supported mobile app that will allow customers to place orders online and for pick up, and possibly eliminating the individual hassle of shopping, or the need for shopping carts.

The average waiting time at a Farm Stores drive-thru window is around two minutes, Betts said, and each store typically services around 1,500 rooftops in any given area.

There is no word on whether there will be an additional charge for online orders.

Image:Amy Jeffries via Flickr