CUB opens new store at Lake/Minnehaha

Wider selections, new features unveiled

“We are not turning our back on any community,” said CUB CEO Mike Stigers announcing the reopening of the Cub Foods Lake Street and Minnehaha store in Minneapolis last week.

The Cub Foods store on Lake and Minnehaha was bustling with business and shoppers before youth took their anger at police violence, racism and systemic injustice out on the store, torching it during protests after the murder of George Floyd.

Located at 2850 26th Avenue South, the store is an institution of sorts. It initially opened its doors in 1989 and serves the shopping needs of many in the area who would otherwise have to go uptown, downtown, to St. Paul or the suburbs for groceries.

The new store will replace the CUB Community Market, which was temporarily installed in July 2020 in place of the burned-out store. CUB Community Market was a 13,000 square foot structure built on the parking lot of the Lake Street store. The Community Market gave neighbors a temporary store near them to purchase grocery items while construction on the permanent store was being completed.

“From the moment we had to close the Lake Street location, we knew we would not only rebuild, but rebuild with the intent on creating a store that was a better reflection of the neighborhood it serves,” said Stigers. “From the wider selection of fresh produce, meat and seafood to the innovative  areas that push the envelope of what to expect from your neighborhood grocer, our new Lake Street  store is one the community can be proud to shop every day.”

The new and remodeled store will include enlarged specialty areas, as well as several new features that were incorporated after surveying the local community to find out how the store could better serve its needs.

Some of the new features include:

• Expanded produce department featuring an increased assortment of organic items and a wider selection of fresh fruits and vegetables

• Expanded deli area that will include more convenient Quick & Easy Meals solutions such as sandwiches, salads and sushi; a wider selection of hot meal offerings; a new soup and salad bar with more variety; and a broader assortment of fresh meats and specialty cheeses

• A new meat and seafood department

• A global foods market featuring a large selection of Mediterranean, Caribbean, East African and Latin pantry items and beverages 

• A freshly made tortillas station featuring tortillas, scratch made in-house daily

• A popcorn shop with fresh popcorn available in a variety of sizes and flavors such as butter, cheese, kettle, caramel, chocolate drizzled, and a cheese and caramel mix

• A custom cake decorating station

The store will also provide grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy prescription delivery, and a dollar store department.

 “The local grocery store is the last to close and the first to open in times of emergency, and that’s exactly what we demonstrated to our customers with the CUB Community Market,” said Stigers.