Owensboro’s First Kroger Marketplace Will Offer More Than Just Groceries

Suddenly, Owensboro, Kentucky, has become very attractive to national supermarket chains. Off the top of my head, we have local groceries like Price Less Foods and Hometown IGA; national brands like Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, and Aldi; and convenience and Dollar General stores to fill in the gaps.

Publix in Owensboro

Soon, those "gaps" won't be as large as they are now. It wasn't very long ago that we got news that Publix would be opening its first Owensboro location, and now, before the first one is even close to opening its doors, we've learned there will be a second one on the west side.

But wait, there's more. A new Kroger will be opening in Owensboro, but it isn't the type of Kroger we were expecting. There have been rumors on social media that the old Kroger on East 4th Street would be closing because of the new one, but I haven't found any official information online to back that up.

The news of a west Publix and a new Kroger has lit up local social media, unsurprisingly.

Kroger Marketplace Comes to Owensboro

Read More: Fast-Growing Grocery Chain You Can't Avoid to Open 800 New Stores

I searched "grocery stores in Owensboro," and, including every establishment that can be considered a grocery store, we have 20. You can understand the Facebook audience wondering about space and competition. I wonder the same thing.

But my main curiosity lies in whatever in the world a "Kroger Marketplace" is and how it differs from Kroger.

It's pretty simple. Kroger Marketplace is a larger Kroger, offering items like apparel, furniture, decor, and housewares. To me, it sounds like a Kroger version of Walmart or Meijer, and it will soon join the competition on Owensboro's east end.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Kroger Marketplace will happen on September 17th.