Last updated on November 8th, 2019 at 01:54 pm
Rouses Markets has teamed up with Nicholls State University for its first-ever collegiate-themed grocery store. The décor and merchandise at Rouses Markets is tailored to each location, but this new store goes a step further. The interior is painted Colonels’ red and gray, and there are Nicholls logos and school photos throughout. There’s even a Colonels’ basketball scoreboard in the café, and a 12-oz. cup of Colonels Retreat, a craft lager brewed by Bayou Teche Brewing for the school, is available on draft for $1.
“We have decades worth of tradition and ties to Nicholls State University. We have a lot family members and team members who are graduates, and we employ hundreds of current students,” says Donny Rouse, CEO of Rouses Markets.
Rouses Markets matched, dollar for dollar, $25,000 in sales from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. on opening day, Wednesday, Oct 30, for a donation to the school. The money will go to support Nicholls State University’s athletics program and the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. “This is a great way for us—and our customers—to show support for Nicholls,” says Donny Rouse.
Located at 1030 South Acadia Road, across the street from Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, the new store is just down the road from Nicholls. It replaces the existing Rouses Market in the area on the other side of the street.
The store features products and services to meet the needs of college students and health care professionals, including online shopping with curbside pickup. It also includes a hot line, poke bowl station and Mongolian Grill with made-to-order stir-fries. Like all Rouses Markets, this new location has a full-service butcher shop, seafood market, floral department and bakery. The store offers seasonal and local produce sourced through partnerships with local farmers, plus more than 100 organic fresh fruits and vegetables.
Opening day festivities included appearances by the Nicholls mascot, cheerleaders and band, Troy Landry from History Channel’s “Swamp People” and former Saints running back Deuce McAllister, as well as storewide samplings of local products and Rouses own private label products.
