Merced grocery store opens focusing on community needs, family friendly service
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Merced Valley Food opened May 1 with a focus on local needs and family service.
- Store excludes alcohol and tobacco, bakery provides custom cakes.
- Weekly text promotions and evolving inventory aim to match community demand.
A grocery store aimed at providing a family-friendly neighborhood feel has opened in Merced.
With a goal of standing apart from other local stores, the 12,000-square-foot Merced Valley Food opened its doors to the public on May 1. The store features weekly specials across departments including bakery, grocery produce and meats.
Store manager Wally Ali said the store’s emphasis is on local needs and providing a welcoming shopping experience. As part of that mission, the store does not stock alcohol or tobacco products.
Ali said that by not selling alcohol or tobacco products provides more parking for shoppers because spaces are being used by people running in and out of the store purchasing alcohol or tobacco, while also keeping potentially undesirable persons from entering the store. Ali said one of the reasons behind opening the store in Merced is that the area was missing a store like Merced Valley Food.
“We want to make Merced grateful—to make it beautiful, to make something new here in Merced,” said Ali.
But shoppers can find a bakery that offers fresh baked goods and personalized cakes for various occasions upon request.
“We’re doing custom cakes,” said Ali. “We do birthday cakes, wedding cakes and any kind of cakes.”
The meat department provides a wide selection of of meats, and the inventory caters to those seeking items and staples of Hispanic food including items such as husks for tamales, various kinds of cheeses, spices and chili peppers. Ali said the store runs weekly promotions on five to six items from each department. Customers who enter their phone number at checkout can even receive text messages with the weekly deals. The store also offers check cashing services.
Since the store’s opening, Ali said he has been adjustinginventory based on customer needs for the specific area and the feedback he has received from shoppers.
“We’ve been adding a lot of items, a lot of meat and produce,” said Ali. “We’re here to bring everything that customers need. Every city is different than the other city. What I want, it’s my clients to find their stuff.”
The storeemploys 25 workers, and is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Ali’s cousin and owner of the store, Abdul Ali, is involved in the operation of grocery stores in Mendota, Sacramento, Riverbank and Planada.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM.