Grand Reopening is October 18!
Whew! Turns out, it is Acme's most recent remodel package making its way into Willingboro and not something new. This particular look is a hold-over from SuperValu and can been seen in it's entirety in the Bryn Mawr store. I was concerned that Alberstons was going to bring their "Albertsons Market" decor package over to Acme. I'm not a fan of it. You can judge for yourself after the pictures of Willingboro.
The remodel got underway just as the nearby Pathmark was in its final days.
90's decor is being left on the walls and simply painted over. All hanging lights are being removed. A look below at the Willingboro's Bakery before the remodel began...
New aisle markers resting on top of the first aisle waiting to be hung.
The keystones from the 90's must be hard to remove. We've seen them left on the walls for other remodels as well. Click here for a look at them at the former Glassboro store.
The new colors definitely improve the atmosphere of the store.
It will be interesting to see if anything is done with the white and red cases throughout. Doubtful many will be replaced but they could get some sort of makeover.
Floral has been lost it's place as a full-fleged department. The area is now home to paper products. Things are still looking a bit temporary here.
Willingoboro's Floral department before the remodel.
You can still see the outlines of the former arches here.
The new down-sized Floral department is now located by the registers. Smaller area but much more visible to shoppers entering the store.
"Albertsons Market" decor package
This is the package that I was concerned was coming over to Acme. It has been used at the Albertsons stores that Cerberus already owned, those not purchased by SuperValu back in 2006. It does has a few nice elements and colors but overall it's rather dull and too generic. No more so than in the Deli...
The wall decor is not working here at all. Things do improve in other departments.
Better than the Fresh Deli but really bland. Hoping we don't see a return of the leaf to Acme.
Photos above are from Holcombe of Hidalgo's flickr photostream
Click the link above to see more versions of this decor package.
I don't know how long Cerberus has been using this "Albertsons Market" look, but when my local Albertsons, now closed, was "remodeled" around 2009-2010, Cerberus just took the Acme Theme Park interior the store was built with, took out all the fun elements like the giant chip bowl and moved around a few aisles, leaving the most bear bones version of the Theme Park look behind in the end (just the original department signage and new Theme Park aisle markers, probably taken from a closed store, were left afterword, and the specially designed department tiles were all mismatched after the aisles were shifted, randomly transitioning right in the middle of an aisle.) I thought this "remodel" made the store look worse. At least Willingboro is getting something new, and it looks nice. Definitely better than the new Albertsons look. When Creberus first bought Florida's Albertsons stores, there were approx. 70 or so left. Now in 2013, there's only 4 remaining. At least Cerberus is trying with Acme.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of remodels, when was the recently closed Pathmark in Willingboro/Edgewater Park last remodeled? If it was remodeled at all anytime in the late 80's, 90's, or 2000s, it would ironically have had the exact same light fixtures Acme used/uses in most of their 90's and early 2000s stores.
ReplyDeleteIt had the "Path to Savings" package which was rolled out to nearly every store in the mid 2000's. The only pictures of it here on the blog are at the abandoned Randolph store...
Deletehttp://acmestyleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/pathmark-randolf-new-jersey.html
That looks so cool.
ReplyDeleteUh, you tagged the post wrong, it's Willingboro, not Williamstown.
ReplyDeleteCould the Pathmark have been remodeled in the 90's at some point, or perhaps late 80's? I am curious what year it originally opened, because I read somewhere it was originally a ShopRite that converted to Pathmark in 1968 when the Pathmark chain started. At some point a Rickel was added next door, owned by Pathmark, but the two companies merged in 1969. So I figure the Rickel opened sometime in the 70's.
ReplyDeleteA&P opened a store in Willingboro in 1959, which closed in 1981 but reopened in early 1983 as Super Fresh, then was expanded (very slightly) as a Super Fresh in 1984. It closed in 1995. I also have read a King's big-box store was to the left of the Pathmark in the 60's and 70's, but this one must have never become Ames even though most King's stores did around the same time Super Fresh started, such as the one in Vineland. Could it have become Ames but an Ames replaced when the former Clover down the street (130) in Cinnaminson became an Ames around 1997? Either way, what was once King's in Willingboro was demolished long ago.
the aisle markers are now up, and they are painting the cases with the red trims, black...and still updating a lot of stuff...it looks a hell of a lot better, it doesn't feel like you're traveling back into the late 80's early 90's anymore.
ReplyDeletethey still are working on the store, replacing all of the few remaining old aisle markers, and signage. looks nice, has a better atmosphere. they even have that dreaded "podium" put in now.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell us about the dreaded podium you speak of?
Deletethe one where someone stands at to monitor not only lines but the employees breaks, schedules, placements, pickups, and to call up associates from other departments, i beleive the two key factors of it being dreaded are having to stand in that spot for the person and then if you are cross trained and get called up front, i dont think they will have it last for long though, most stores i know of except newtown in pennysvania have theirs in storage or just disposed of, it does add some sense of up-scale touch i suppose though on a bright side
ReplyDeletewhen will the full post of the remodel be going up?
ReplyDeleteThat's TBD.
Deletejfyi...grand-reopening is october 18th, store is 99% finished. picked up a lot of business and has a better atmosphere.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.phillyburbs.com/00redesign/news/local/acme-holds-reopening-in-willingboro/article_4776bbe7-b8cc-5fed-a516-2445bb23dd33.html
ReplyDelete