Community Corner
New Pioneer Co-Op Board Votes in Favor of Expanding to Third Store
The Co-Op will now continue to investigate its options more seriously for a third store location, which could include a store in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area.
Marion New Pioneer Co-Op hopefuls, you can hope alive, as the local grocery co-op has voted almost unanimously to expand to a third location:
Via the New Pioneer Co-Op Facebook page:
The results are in, folks! The New Pi Board of Directors is pleased to announce a decisive ‘Yes’ outcome of the member vote to pursue a 3rd store with in our trade area. Here's to more local, sustainable, community-based food! More Pi for everyone!
91 one percent of board members voted yes on the decision to build a new location according to Little Village Magazine.
And Marion residents made sure to represent themselves after the announcement, with several comments arguing in favor of a future Marion location:
"Please come to Marion :)"
"Marion!!!"
"Please in Marion, please!!!!"
"Marion please!"
"CR /Marion by all means, We visit the store in Coralville when we are in the area, but would patronize one in the CR /Marion area weekly. The CR demographics have changed significantly since New Pi's last visit!"
Here is more about the vote from a New Pioneer Co-Op press release.
New Pioneer Food Co-op Board Announces ‘Yes’ Member Vote on Proposed 3rd Store
IOWA CITY, 6/17/13 – The New Pioneer Food Co-op Board of Directors is pleased to announce a decisive ‘Yes’ outcome of the member vote to pursue a 3rd store with in our trade area. With 2,753 ballots counted: 2,514 (91%) of the voting members voting ‘Yes,’ and 239 voting ‘No’ to the proposal.
“The results – both in terms of voter turnout and percentage of votes – indicate an engaged membership that is overwhelmingly in favor of this project. Now more than ever, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that we are serving the needs of members and the community,” said Jen Knights, Member Relations Chair of the Board.
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The Co-op has not identified a particular site, nor does it have a preferred location at this time. Further market studies of the trade area are underway. A store will be within New Pi’s current trade area – the area from which it currently draws strong customer support and sales, from east Iowa City through Coralville and north to Cedar Rapids and Marion. OR, in the event that a viable downtown Iowa City site can be found, to relocate the Iowa City store within the immediate downtown area.
“We believe it is in New Pi’s collective best interest to continue to grow by opening a third New Pi store,” says New Pi Board President Sarah Walz. “It will allow us to provide more local and organic products to more people, and expand the market for our local producers,” she continues, and “a third store will allow us to better serve our current members and to reach new members.”
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The Co-op’s growth is guided by its mission statement: “New Pioneer’s mission is to serve the needs of its members and to stimulate the local agricultural production of natural and organic foods by providing a market for such foods.”
Look for forthcoming information on the coming steps of the process in both New Pi stores, New Pi’s Catalyst newsletter, on New Pi’s website at www.newpi.coop, and on New Pi’s Facebook page at http://s.coop/npfb as information becomes available.
New Pioneer Cooperative Society was founded as a natural foods cooperative grocer in Iowa City in 1971, and opened its Coralville branch in 2001. Today, New Pi is a thriving two-store food co-op with over 25,000 members. The stores provide local, organic, and natural foods to the Iowa City and Coralville area. New Pi is located at 22 S. Van Buren St. in Iowa City and at 1101 2nd St. in Coralville. Please visit www.newpi.coop for more information.
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