Sep 15, 2008 12:00 PM, By MATTHEW ENIS

Tortillerias are one way to bring a taste of authenticity to stores looking to build their Hispanic shopper base By: By MATTHEW ENIS

As the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States, Hispanic shoppers have had the attention of food retailers for years now. The U.S. Census Bureau currently places their population at more than 45 million in the United States, and their aggregate purchasing power exceeded $863 billion last year, according to a recent report from the restaurant research consultancy Technomic Information Services, Chicago.

And, following the lead of supermarkets in the Southwest, many grocers have been rolling out new formats specifically tailored to Hispanic customers, such as Publix Sabor in Florida and the new Hispanic format rolled out in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., market by Food Lion last month. Just last week, Fresh Market highlighted Grande Foods — a former Thriftway location outside of Portland, Ore., that owner Tom Evans converted into a Hispanic grocery in a successful attempt to fend off growing competition from local hypermarkets.

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