KEY TAKEAWAYS: Rouses Markets opens its first grocery store in New Orleans East. The store is part of the company’s conversion of former Winn-Dixie locations. Expanded fresh departments include Gulf seafood, bakery items, and prepared foods. Company leaders and city officials attended the op ening-day ribbon cutting.   Rouses Markets opened a new grocery store in New Orleans East on Monday, marking the company’s first location in the area and expanding access to fresh food and local products for the community. The store, located at 9701 Chef Menteur Highway, opened to customers at 7 a.m. and hosted an official ribbon-cutting ceremony later in the morning. The opening is part of Rouses Markets’ broader expansion following its acquisition of former Winn-Dixie locations across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. “This is the first Rouses Markets store in New Orleans East,” the company said, calling the opening a significant step in bringing its full-service grocery model to the neighborhood. The New Orleans East store is the seventh of 10 former Winn-Dixie locations acquired by Rouses Markets from Southeastern Grocers LLC. The Franklinton store, which also opened Monday, is the eighth. The company is opening two converted stores per week as part of the rollout, with the Franklinton location scheduled to host its ribbon cutting Tuesday. Customers at the new locations will find expanded fresh departments and new offerings, including Gulf seafood, Cajun specialties, chef-inspired prepared foods, bakery items, fresh produce, and a larger selection of local and regional products, according to the company. Rouses Markets President and CEO Donny Rouse attended the New Orleans East ribbon cutting, along with city leaders including Mayor Helena Moreno, City Councilmember Jason Hughes and NOPD Seventh District Commander Capt. Kevin Stamp. Founded in 1960 in Houma, Louisiana, Rouses Markets is a family-owned grocery chain serving communities across the Gulf Coast. The company has positioned its latest store openings as part of a strategy to strengthen its presence in existing markets while supporting neighborhood access to fresh foods and regional products. ...read more read less