OHIO – The Dayton Daily News used current store building trends in Ohio to show that as supercenters and other big box formats continue to capture consumers’ attention, smaller stores are beginning to be seen by some shoppers as a necessary option.

Part of the issue seems to be that aging baby boomers may not want to spend the time on their feet that a supercenter demands. And part of it seems to be that a smaller shopping experience can also be a more convenient, targeted and attractive alternative.

Jan Cox of Union was more cautionary. "It's a beautiful store. But I think if your feet are tired and you're not in the mood for shopping, it's maybe not the ideal place."

For example, in the Pittsburgh area, Giant Eagle recently opened one of its trendy new Express stores — a mere 14,000 square feet, but packed with fresh produce, a deli, a drive-thru pharmacy, a free Wi-Fi cafe, a DVD rental machine, a prepared foods area with heat-and-serve meals and a bakery that can do birthday cakes.

Also, the story states that of Kroger's total 2,468 supermarkets as of 2006, most were mid-sized combination food and drug stores, followed by discount warehouse stores, multi-department stores and the newer giant Marketplace locations.

As big box supermarkets continue to open in the Dayton area, the trend toward concentrating more and more products and services under one gigantic roof already has reached its limit in many parts of the country, industry experts say.

With the nation's maturing baby boomers voting with their feet, "medium-sized grocery stores are going to be able to niche themselves into the market more than ever," said Tom Jackson, president of the Ohio Grocers Association. Some chains are quietly opening smaller "express" stores designed to get customers in and out quickly, he said.

The average grocery store in America today is about 40,000 square feet, according to the Food Marketing Institute.