Barons Market opened its ninth location May 22 at the Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista, California. Barons’ team worked with interior designer Julie Dugas of Studio H2G to transform the 21,000-s.f. space into an innovative grocery store with a unique design that reflects Otay Ranch’s character.
“Simply put, we make grocery shopping exciting and fun, and we can’t wait to introduce Barons Market to Otay Ranch,” said Rachel Shemirani, SVP of Barons Market. “We are hopeful that this Barons Market will make the lives of our new neighbors a little bit easier—especially our 15-minute shopping experience. Our team is excited to meet our Otay shoppers.”
Tim Kilcourse, general manager of Otay Ranch Town Center, welcomed Barons Market to the mix of tenants at the shopping center.
“Today, shoppers are looking for more than just retail options. They’re looking for a one-stop-shop for all of their errands. We are eager to see the reaction of the community and are proud to play host to this one-of-a-kind grocery store concept,” Kilcourse said.
Barons Market is an award-winning independent grocery store with a mission to provide good food at good prices to communities across Southern California. Barons Market:
- Offers a 15-minute shopping experience in its stores;
- Includes a varied selection of fresh produce, mostly from local farms, at low prices;
- Carries a large selection of microbrews featuring many local brands; and
- Contributes more than $300,000 per year to community organizations.
The family-owned market’s leadership team works out of its San Diego-based home office, where every Wednesday at noon they meet to taste and evaluate 80-120 products before choosing about five products to bring to their shelves. New employees in Otay Ranch consist of local hires from March’s job fair along with leadership from existing stores.
Keeping safe during COVID-19
To protect its employees and customers, Barons Market has carried out a variety of safety measures to keep everyone safe amid the COVID-19 outbreak. All employees and customers will be wearing face coverings, and plexiglass barriers have been installed at the cash registers for added protection. There will be a limited number of customers allowed in the store at a time to encourage social distancing. The store hours have adjusted to 10 a.m.-8 p.m. so employees can spend an extra hour in the morning and an extra hour in the evening to clean and sanitize the store. Employees also will be sanitizing the entire store including cash registers and shopping carts throughout the day, and they will get their temperatures taken each time they clock in for a shift.
No reusable bags will be allowed, instead, Barons will pack groceries in a paper or plastic bag (free of charge).
Barons Market New Store Opening, Otay Ranch Town Center, Chula Vista, CA, May 22, 2020
