Near East at United Markets
United Markets is a specialty independent running 1 Bay Area store, large-format at about 26,260 sq ft each.
Near East® is a brand known for its grain-based food products, including rice pilafs and couscous, founded in 1962 by Armenian immigrants in Worcester, Massachusetts.
It’s already on the shelf here, with 17 SKUs across 5 categories. The growth is depth and breadth: 2 categories to widen.
Lead with Basil & Herb Pearled Couscous Mix in Couscous.
United Markets stocks couscous thinly, so a differentiated snack stands out instead of becoming the Nth option on a crowded shelf. It already earns space at 4 other Bay Area grocers.
United Markets carries boxed grain meal & sides in real depth, 53 SKUs against a fleet median of 14, so a new entry there is the Nth option, and its per-unit price would likely sit near the top of a crowded shelf. The more differentiated opening is couscous: United Markets stocks only 9 there, so Near East Basil & Herb Pearled Couscous Mix stands out rather than blending in. Lead with the couscous, and position the boxed grain meal & sides as a finishing or gift item.
United Markets merchandises 5 of the 5 categories the brand sells.
non-gmo, vegetarian against the store's assortment lean.
brand excitement 45/100.
enters a thin couscous shelf as a point of difference.
The full runway
Every category Near East plays in across the Bay Area grocers we track, and where it stands at United Markets. Depth is the distinct SKUs the store carries there versus the fleet median, shown next to the rival brands already on that shelf.
On shelf here, but only 12 of 14 SKUs. Room to widen the line.
On shelf here, but only 1 of 2 SKUs. Room to widen the line.
How it prices
Where it would price in couscous. Each dot is a product on the shelf, by its cost per oz (hover for which). Near East (orange) sits well above the shelf.
What to bring to expand
Near East’s SKUs United Markets doesn’t carry yet, ordered by how many other Bay Area grocers already stock them.
Already on the shelf
Presence and depth are measured from United Markets’ current Bay Area storefront: its online catalog plus our shelf photos, a partial view. A widely-distributed brand shown as a new door may already be carried through channels we don’t index. United Markets profile →
