New food store emphasizes to-go food, seafood Copp's Food Center holds a preview of the new store in Bellevue Monday. The store opens Tuesday (today) (photo by H. Marc Larson). The third Copps in the market wants to 'comfort' shoppers By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle It looked like a grocery store, only much neater. The bananas were lined up like soldiers, the bags of chips stood at attention, and all the shelves were full. That shouldn't last today. Monday night was a special media-and-business preview of the new Copps Food Center in Bellevue, next to Target at the corner of Allouez Avenue and Lime Kiln Road. While the store isn't much larger than its sister stores in Green Bay and Ashwaubenon, the inside looks different. Handsome relief pictures show what's in each aisle, and decorative hangings guide shoppers to the meats and cheeses. "The idea is to give the shopper some comfort," said Robert Mariano, CEO of Roundy's Inc, Copps' parent company. "We don't just try to rush them in and out; we want them to stay a while and see something new they haven't tried before." It's the third store Copps has in the area, and it isn't far away from the chain's Main Street store. But that store won't close, as Copps is betting on growth in Bellevue and Ledgeview to bring new customers. "This is really a fast-growing area," said Mariano. "Target wanted a food chain as a neighbor and we're very happy to be here." One difference appears after entering the store - a new hot-food service area, featuring pizza and Chinese food. "We're aiming at the time-crunched consumer who wants to come in, get a hot meal, and then eat it in the comfort of their own home," Mariano said. Shoppers also get to pick from "601 varieties of fruits and vegetables," Mariano said, as well as the usual foodstuffs. One other difference is more focus on seafood, said store director Jeff Brasel. "We've separated the seafood area from the meat area to give it some more emphasis," he said. The store's liquor department has a large emphasis on wine, as well as a walk-in beer cooler with a sliding door, dubbed the "Tailgate Center." The 64,000-square-foot store is actually smaller than the Main Street store, but has more elbow room for shoppers. "We have a lot less back-store area," Brasel said. The store opens at 6 a.m. today.