KC grocery chain launches discount store as food prices rise, customers demand value

A family-owned Kansas City grocery chain is launching a no-frills discount store amid rising food costs — hoping the straightforward approach will provide customers price transparency and deep savings down every aisle, lowering “every price in that store.”

ChopMore! By Price Chopper saw a soft opening Thursday in the former Price Chopper in Brywood Center, 8700 E. 63rd St., at Blue Ridge Cutoff near Raytown. The discount concept is a vertical within Cosentino’s Food Stores, which has operated in the metro for more than 75 years.

“What we promise is — when you walk out the door you are going to save money,” said John Cosentino, executive vice president of Cosentino’s Food Stores.

A grand opening and ribbon cutting event is planned for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. The first 100 customers are set to receive a $20 ChopMore! gift card.

Here’s how it works: Product is priced at cost, plus 10 percent added at checkout to cover overhead.

Cosentino’s is able to offer such ChopMore! discounts by cutting expenses in other areas.

“Stack it high and sell it low. No marketing, no ads, no gimmicks, no loyalty cards,” Cosentino said. “Some products are in bins. Pallet drops on the endcaps. So it’s a different way of merchandising. Quicker, less labor.”

The former Price Chopper store in the space had about 100 employees a year ago; ChopMore! now has about 60. But the company did not lay off workers, Cosentino said; instead it gradually downsized through attrition.

ChopMore! will offer quality meats, triple-inspected fresh produce, a variety of deli selections and hot foods, top-tier national brands, high-quality but value-based private labels, and bakery goods.

A Cosentino’s Food Stores worker stocks products in a section at ChopMore! By Price Chopper dedicated to juices and vegetables; courtesy photo

The concept fits into what today’s consumers are seeking, according to industry reports. A June  report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company spoke of the “value now” consumer. Even consumers with the capacity to spend are applying greater scrutiny to when and where they do so, the report said, adding that they are becoming more selective and intentional, extracting more value from purchases, and reserving splurges for moments that feel justified.

At the same time, food prices are only expected to keep rising. The USDA’s Economic Research Service is projecting prices for all food to increase 2.9 percent for 2026, with food forecast to rise another 2 percent for 2027, according to a report released by the agency in September.

“We are excited to offer local shoppers a real differentiator in the market,” Casie Broker, chief marketing officer of Price Chopper, said in a statement. “Families are looking for quality and honesty when they buy groceries, and our goal is to peel back hidden markups and deliver maximum savings on the brands and fresh foods people rely on every single day.”

Consumers today are looking for greater value, and independent grocers are finding new ways to meet those expectations, echoed Dan Funk, president and CEO of Associated Wholesale Grocers, a retailer-owned wholesale grocery cooperative that includes Cosentino’s and Price Chopper brands.

“ChopMore’s cost-plus model is an innovative approach that delivers quality products at competitive prices while creating a distinctive shopping experience,” Funk said in a statement. “AWG is proud to partner with Cosentino Food Stores on this exciting venture, and we will continue investing in solutions that help independent retailers grow, innovate and succeed.”

Cosentino’s was founded in 1948 by Dante Cosentino Sr., John’s grandfather, an artist who emigrated from Italy. Dante and his wife, Beatrice, purchased a small fruit stand at the current site of the Cosentino’s Apple Market at 4300 Blue Ridge Blvd.

They wanted to help their two oldest sons transition to civilian life after serving in World War II.

“They were professional grocers. First-name basis with their customers,” John Cosentino said. “They just made good moves at the right time and built their business off of great service, which we continue to do today. We’ve built Price Chopper up to be a market leader.”

The family previously operated Cosentino Thriftway in the Brywood Centre. Then, in 1984, they took part of the former Woolco space for a Price Chopper warehouse grocery store, a brand for members of Associated Wholesale Grocers in Kansas City, Kansas. 

The 56,000-square-foot store is especially meaningful to John Cosentino, who first worked there as a teenager — sacking groceries and pushing carts.

“I probably wouldn’t be the fastest sacker today but it would be organized right,” he said Wednesday.

He spent more than a year studying this no-frills, cost-plus-10% grocery store model in other markets and called it a “proven game-changer” for independent retailers. 

“What my father and uncles did, sometimes you have to have to make changes, and being an independent you can react quicker than a lot of retailers can,” he said. “We are not giving up our quality, all the national brands, all the private labels. It will make us as competitive in the market as any grocery store. Big boxes, other conventional grocery stores.” 

ChopMore! By Price Chopper branding shown on the store’s point-of-sale system at 8700 E. 63rd St., at Blue Ridge Cutoff near Raytown; courtesy photo

The Overland Park-based Cosentino’s Food Stores owns 31 grocery stores including 24 under the Price Chopper brand; Cosentino’s Markets in Brookside, downtown Kansas City, and Overland Park; two Apple Markets; and three Sun Fresh. It has about 4,000 employees. 

“We’ve had opportunities to do things outside of Kansas City but this is our city, born and raised here,” John Cosentino said.

The family closed their Price Chopper store in Overland Park’s Rosana Square earlier this year after more than three decades — the first store closure for the family in its history. An increasingly busy intersection near the location made it particularly difficult for cars and pedestrians to access the store, the company said.

It now is investing an estimated $40-million-plus in remodels and new stores this year and next, including a new Price Chopper replacing a current Price Chopper in Pleasant Hill which is scheduled to open in 2027, remodeling the Liberty Price Chopper in 2027 (it will be like a brand new store, John said), potentially adding another new Price Chopper store in the metro, and even expanding with more ChopMore! Stores.

“We’re always looking to grow more, a lot of good things are coming,” Cosentino said. “I’m very excited about ChopMore! We believe in it and we think it is going to be amazing.”

Along with the ribbon cutting giveaway, the store is planning another grand opening/family fun event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 31 with face painting, character and balloon artists, popcorn, cotton candy and Halloween candy for the kids. 

Hours for the ChopMore! store are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.