Retail  May 29, 2024

Shamrock to open Louisville food warehouse in July

LOUISVILLE — A Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse retail store will open on July 18 in a Louisville building that formerly housed an Alfalfa’s Market Inc. grocery store.

The Louisville City Council last year approved a business-assistance incentive package to help Phoenix-based Shamrock Foods Co.  set up shop at the 28,190-square-foot storefront at 785 E. South Boulder Road. The package totaled $321,338.25 over five years, including 50% reductions in building-permit fees and construction use tax and signage-permit fees and taxes. 

Because Shamrock took over a vacant business, it became eligible for a vacancy bonus incentive of $1 for each square foot of retail space. In this case, that total bonus would be $28,190.

Alfalfa’s closed the Louisville grocery store in April 2021.

Shamrock, the largest family-owned independent foodservice distributor in the West, will also open a store at 2802 S. Havana St. in Aurora on June 14. The locations, the fifth and sixth in Colorado and 12th and 13th overall, will offer one-stop shopping for restaurant operators and access to wholesale grocery products for the general public.

In Northern Colorado, Shamrock operates a store at 200 W. Foothills Parkway, Unit D, in Fort Collins.

“We already have a deep Colorado presence by delivering directly to our local restaurant customers and through our existing warehouse stores,” Ann Ocaña, chief marketing officer for Shamrock Foods Co., said in a prepared statement. “The opportunity to build on that in support of operator growth and to provide a unique shopping experience for the public is exciting.”

Featuring approximately 6,000 products, Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse stores stock meats, seafood, produce and dairy items, disposables, cleaning supplies, kitchen equipment, and appliances.

“The new locations were strategically selected to support our growing Denver-area foodservice customers and the public,” Ocaña said. “Our stores check the boxes for all of our shoppers thanks to our restaurant experience, culinary expertise, product selection, great pricing and unmatched service.“

The Louisville store will hold grand-opening activities including vendor demonstrations, food trucks, product sampling and giveaways for the first 100 customers, and will kick off a month-long food drive supporting the Community Food Share food bank with an initial $5,000 donation.

A Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse retail store will open on July 18 in a Louisville building that formerly housed an Alfalfa’s Market Inc. grocery store.

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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