Barrett: High-end grocer scouting Downtown spots

There are companies with "serious" interest in developing a high-end grocery store Downtown, according to influential Cincinnati business leader John Barrett.

Barrett, president and chief executive of Downtown-based Western & Southern Financial Group, said Tuesday he met with people last week who want to develop a store that also sells prepared foods in a Downtown building. He said the independent store could operate in a footprint more commonly found in dense urban areas.

Barrett was among several speakers at an event for REDI Cincinnati, a regional economic development organization, celebrating Greater Cincinnati's momentum in securing highly coveted private sector investments.

When asked by The Enquirer after the event, Barrett did not share details about the company or location. The company Barrett leads is also leading the redevelopment of Lytle Park and could unveil formal development plans later this year.

"People are moving to town, they're liking what they see," Barrett said. "I don't think there's many apartment units available right now in Downtown, and certainly there aren't enough condominiums. So I look for a five- to 10-year build out of housing. I think what will follow that economically is retail development. All those things are important."

Downtown boosters and residents have told The Enquirer a grocery store is important to the area's health. A grocery store was part of early plans proposed for a mixed-use development at Fourth and Race streets, but that idea was nixed.

Officials from Downtown-based Kroger have talked publicly about opening a new Downtown store, but spokesman Keith Dailey told The Enquirer last year that a store could open if it were the right fit for the community and company and economically viable. Kroger's founder Barney Kroger opened his first grocery store Downtown in 1883 along a route that's now Fort Washington Way. The company's Downtown store on Race Street closed 40 years ago, but it still operates locations near the central business district in Over-the-Rhine and Newport.

On mobile? Tap here to tell us if you think Downtown needs a grocery store.