We are happy to announce that today we have opened the doors on our newest store, 2nd and Girard in Philadelphia, PA....
Posted by ACME Markets on Thursday, October 1, 2015
INTERIOR PHOTOS JUST IN >>>
The exterior sign is not off to a good start.
A handful of stickers and you have yourself a new ACME!
Photos sent in by Will. He reports that 3 new checkouts have been added, most likely replacing Superfresh's self-checkouts.
Wow! Acme is back!
ReplyDeleteLooks nice!
ReplyDeleteThe signage is probably burned out because it was likely surplus from a closed Acme.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty obvious it's a brand new sign. The white frames on each letter are a relatively new feature for Acme's signs and if even if it was *used* they would have put new bulbs in the damn thing.
DeleteIt is new signage. There is also a new pharmacy sign that was not lit. Acme has a new sign facing Girard ave and that was not lit. Its been raining the past few days, so they may have had trouble installing the signage.
DeleteNice of Acme to add a constantly updating page that will say when the new Acme stores open.
ReplyDeleteWow, when was the last time that the Acme store count went UP?
ReplyDeleteHey, quick question about this store: from an A&P press release, this opened in August 2011 as a Superfresh, but apparently was going to open in 2010 or so as a Pathmark, they had signage up in summer 2011 and everything. How long did the Pathmark signage stay up?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I remember the Pathmark logo was up for about a year; they changed it over not long before the store finally opened.
DeleteI drove to 2nd & Girard today! The store is on the third floor of a newly constructed building. I'm guessing that storage and prep are on the lower level. It's a fairly small parking area, but great views of the city, even in today's rain. The store looks beautiful. Not a trace of Super Fresh or their private label product. The shelves are full, with a great assortment. It's clear that they have been reset. Aisle markers, and wall art are original, but have Acme stickers pasted over the Super Fresh logo. New shopping carts. Customer service and express checkouts in the center of the checkouts. Everything is first class! I'm not sure how they did it all between 3:00 pm Monday, and 7:00 am Thursday morning. An amazing accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, the Acme Markets takeover of A&P begins...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a pretty nice store. The decor is pretty simple (they simply had to cover the SuperFresh logo) but still looks nice. And as for the signs being burned out, it probably is because of the rain.
I'm wondering now if ease of conversion was an impetus for Acme buying certain stores while forgoing others. Suddenly curious to see if Acme has plans for either the Woodland Park or Wayne A&P stores that haven't been put on the block yet, because those are first gen fresh remodels and so, apparently, looked to be this SuperFresh.
ReplyDeleteAny idea (roughly) when they'd have the ones around Philly and Delaware converted over assuming everything goes according to plan? Hopefully before winter. I'll do a road trip and get some pictures.
ReplyDeleteI believe every store will be converted Thanksgiving.
DeletePer Jeff Metzger’s colum( http://best-met.com/column/stock-67/):
Delete“At its annual vendor meeting held on September 15 at its corporate offices in Malvern, PA, Acme executives, led by president Dan Croce, outlined the growing chain’s priorities while also discussing the company’s pending acquisition of 76 A&P stores.
Termed “Project Azalea,” the plan is to change over approximately 12 stores per week beginning on September 28 with the conversion of the Super Fresh on Girard Avenue in Philadelphia and concluding with 10 stores on November 17. . . . Using a staggered system, all stores will close and re-open three days later. During the “dark” days, attention will be paid to cleaning all stores thoroughly, filling orders and changing IT systems.”
On a side note, Dan Croce started at the Branmar SuperFresh in high school. (And I’ve seen the yearbook pictures to prove it.)
Project Azalea? What kind of name is that? Perhaps Dan is a big fan of Iggy Azalea?
DeleteThree days is really ambitious. Giant spent two weeks converting over the Ukrop's locations, but they did a lot more to them than just put up some stickers and fill the shelves.
DeleteI imagine the stores will get a more thorough treatment as time goes on and Acme can tailor a package specific to each store.
And I can only imagine how many people it took (Acme and vendors) to convert the first store over. I'm sure they learned a lot from it and will probably learn more as they go. I worked on some overnight remodels/resets of Food Lions, and they had a ton of people crammed in the stores.
Ukrop's stores were converted to Martin's, not Giant.
DeleteI think it's even more momentous that the first store converted took place right in Philly, where Acme had its origins.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend that you do a store count... this time going up 76 locations.
ReplyDelete5 actually didn't go in the sale.
DeleteAh, the 76 was the new stores...actually, the real number is closer to 70, since Acme pulled out of several locations.
DeleteUpdated store count goes up tomorrow. Acme doesn't have 76... or 70... newly operating locations. Just one.
DeleteWas by there last night. They fixed the parking lot sign, but not the one on the corner facing Girard.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they kept the part of the sign in the beverage aisle that reads "New Age Beverages".
ReplyDeleteThis store has more Pathmark blood in it than meets the eye. While it was built during the A&P regime (2010), Pathmark had planned to build a store here in the 90s, and the blueprints were followed very closely. The layout is distinctly Pathmark, as seen with this bread area, as is the lighting arrangement (A&P would have done hanging lights) and the "branding space" on the walls above the perimeter shelving is exacly how Pathmark did it through the 2000s. Also, fixtures may also have been procured under Pathmark as well, since the store had Burroughs/Royston Series 90 checkstands, which were a Pathmark standard during a time when A&P was buying Killion equipment.
ReplyDelete