Bristol Farms Newfound Market opens at Irvine Spectrum
The concept behind Bristol Farms Newfound Market, which opens at the Irvine Spectrum today, is to offer a grocery store full of intention.
“What sets Bristol Farms a part is it is very much about experience,” said Bristol Farms CEO Adam Caldecott. “We added ‘Newfound Market’ to highlight that we are really diving in deep on food and beverage. We want to create this space that feels curated, but we also want to have what you need for the everyday.”
Bristol Farms has long established itself in the specialty grocery industry. If one were shopping for Bristol Farms in a supermarket aisle, it would be found on the same shelf as Gelson’s Markets and Whole Foods. Except now it would have a “new and approved” sticker.
The new location is almost 34,000 square feet and features seven of its own chef-created restaurant brands. This, Caldecott said, is Bristol Farms 3.0.
“We are really in this concept trying to elevate ourselves,” said Caldecott.
The elevation begins when you walk into the store, where flowers and produce are front and center, but low displays allow customers to see all the way to the back.
“You are not overwhelmed by all the fixtures,” Caldecott said. “You are overwhelmed by the color of the food, and we have created very good strike points so you can tell where things are.”
When you step into an aisle, the sounds changes since no music is pumped into the aisle, and the items are lit by lights running along each shelf, illuminating the product below it.
“I am trying to create moments throughout the store,” said Caldecott.
The wine department is stocked like a boutique wine shop, with a range of varietals and price points, with a plank wood floor and wine stewards available for guidance.
And there is an emphasis on the local.
“For us it is also about representing the local economy, so we have a lot of local-oriented products,” said Caldecott. “And when I say local, I mean fresh from Orange County. We really try to highlight a lot of those products, and you find them speckled throughout the store.”
An endcap for instance, displays a sign that reads “Love Local” and showcases items like Newport Beach-based candy company B. Toffee and Los Angeles-based Alfred Coffee.
Caldecott is most excited about the food hall, which features Bristol Farms’ own chef-driven concepts like artisan fried chicken shop, Horton’s Hot Chicken, fast casual vegan dining at Rooted Plant-Based Plates, a European inspired café called Heart & Hand and even a full-service restaurant, Viaggio Pizzeria. The latter has outdoor seating, a full bar and a seasonal menu of pizzas and pastas. Like any other restaurant, reservations can be made on OpenTable.
The market also has thousands of natural and organic items and full-service seafood and meat counters with a dry-aged cooler. Bristol Farms has made an effort to stock beef from responsibly managed ranches like Richards Grassfed Beef and Regenerative.
“We are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, but we also have a really amazing certification called ‘land to market,’” said Carrie Richards, co-owner of Richards Grassfed Beef and Regenerative, “and that is through the Savory Institute ... They monitor all of lands every year. They do carbon sequestration, they do biodiversity and water infiltration because we want to use the animals to actually improve the lands we are grazing.”
Richards Regenerative products like ground beef, ribeye, filet mignon, New York strip, flat iron and top sirloin are available as net weight individual steaks in the grab and go section of the meat cooler.
Ultimately, Caldecott said the intention is quality customer experience.
“This year marks our 40th anniversary, and Bristol Farms Newfound Market showcases the many innovations we will roll out to the company,” said Caldecott. “With each store we open, we strive to improve and better serve a wide variety of guests who share a desire for flavor, quality and convenience.”
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