Keep an eye out for premium butcher shops to continue springing up in more and more communities around the country. The butcher shop trend has been thriving because consumers now have higher standards with regards to the meat they purchase. Many boutique butcher shops also provide in-store dining options, as well as wine bars. The retail assortment at these butcher shops can also extend beyond meat, with offerings such as artisanal and international brands of cheese, olives, bread, crackers, produce and spices. Most of these butcher shops are mom-and-pop operations and do not have multiple locations in other states, but there are a couple of brands in the category that are steadily expanding across the country: La Carniceria Meat Market and New York Butcher Shoppe.
La Carniceria Meat Market, based in Bellflower, Calif., is on track to open between five and eight new units per year for the foreseeable future. The butcher shop opened its first unit in a new state last year when the concept expanded into San Antonio. Two more locations are expected in the Lone Star State this year, with a second unit in San Antonio at Sea World amusement park, and a site in Cypress. La Carniceria will also continue to open new units in its home state of California, with a location in Santa Ana expected to open this year. As for future growth, expect more cities in Texas to be targeted, especially in McAllen, as well as throughout the Houston and Dallas metros. The San Diego metro areas will also be eyed for new units, such as in Escondido, Vista and San Marcos.
Ideal spaces for La Carniceria are inline or end cap units, between 1,300 and 2,000 s.f., within strip malls, neighborhood centers and power centers. Retail space should be in highly populated metros and suburban markets with a large Hispanic population. The average household income should be $75K to $150K within five miles of the site. Co-tenants can include other errand brands such as Supercuts, or non-competing eateries such as Dave’s Hot Chicken or Starbucks. La Carniceria Meat Market sells a wide variety of premium cuts of beef, chicken, and pork sourced from various ranches in the United States and Australia. La Carniceria is even certified by the Kobe Beef Association to sell Kobe beef. Customers can purchase additional items in-store, such as marinades, seasonings, tortillas, chips, cutting boards and aprons.
The New York Butcher Shoppe franchise, based in South Carolina, expects to open approximately five new units per year for the foreseeable future. Look for the concept to open a unit in Colleyville, Texas, a new state for the brand, by this summer, in addition to also opening new units in both Georgia and South Carolina, two states where it already has a presence. Within the last three years, New York Butcher Shoppe has been expanding into other new states, such as Arizona in 2022 and Tennessee in 2023. Expect further growth into those states, in addition to continued expansion in Florida.
New York Butcher Shoppe seeks end cap or inline spaces in the 1,200- to 3,000-s.f. range in lifestyle centers, power centers, neighborhood centers, strip malls, the ground floor of mixed-use buildings, as well as standalone buildings. Retail space should be in higher-end suburban communities with a minimum household income of $115K/year. The retail center should have non-competing eateries such as Five Guys or Krispy Kreme, and daily-visit businesses such as Pure Barre. New York Butcher Shoppe, which ironically has no locations in New York, is not only famous for its high-quality cuts of beef, chicken, lamb, pork and veal, but also for prepared food items, such as salads, eggplant parmesan or stuffed fillets. Last year, New York Butcher Shoppe opened its first unit in Marietta, Ga., that offered a wine bar, so future locations could also factor in this feature.
