with a blast from the past!
Photo courtesy of hulkied's flickr photostream
A first look at Acme's updated logo in the newly remodeled Devon store! Acme reached back into its past to add something new to the company's dreadfully boring block letter logo. The addition is absolutely brilliant! As you can see, the shape around the letters is inspired by the world famous figh-eye logo of the 60's and 70's. The link to this photo was left by Matt under the "Spring Break" post from last week. He included some news about the Devon store…
I went into the Devon store today. My jaw dropped when I entered the store. They've come up with a new version of the logo. The block letters remain but they're now surrounded by a new, stylized fisheye. The new decor is very basic, but is VERY much an Acme in and out. Either the new fisheye or the block letters are on every sign in the place, Lancaster Brand has HUGE signage, the corner deli returns, and the walls feature slogans like "SERVING YOU SINCE 1891" and "THE HOUSE THAT QUALITY BUILT". They did their homework here.
Matt has just sent in some additional details...
...unfortunately I didn't get pictures - I wear my Acme fleece everywhere and I didn't want anyone to think I was suspicious! I don't know if I'd call it "great" - the new look is a bit warehousey. The lancaster brand sign above the prepack meat cases is a simple decal, for instance. (It was converted from what might have been a full-frills Albertsons decor.) One interesting thing is that this store, while it has a Pharmacy, lacks any Sav-on branding. There's no signage outside, and the sign above the Pharmacy says "FOR YOUR HEALTH". (Granted, that's next to what I think is the dairy wall, which has "THE HOUSE THAT QUALITY BUILT" instead of the section name.
I'd describe the interior as a blend of the Albertsons Market decor, lower-budget PFH, but most of all, a lot of the quirkiness of older Acmes, like the colonial and checkerboard decor. And the Acme logo is EVERYWHERE! Aisle markers, department signage, checkout lights, you name it. Either it's the New Fisheye or simply the block letters, but it's clear what store you're at. No Albertsons leaf, no Albertsons seal.
I don't know if this decor has shown up anywhere else yet. Willingboro I think is using the Bryn Mawr decor [it is… pictures can be seen here] , while 10th and Reed, from at least one photo, is based on Albertsons Market decor, though if Devon is any indication I would not expect any leaves.
One thing is for sure - when I was in Devon, I felt like I was at an Acme. Not an Albertsons or a Supervalu. An Acme, like American Stores used to run. This is what happens when you have competent management!
Another new decor package? I just wish Acme would pick one and stick with it. As Matt said, the recently remodeled store at 10th and Reed in Philly also has a new package not yet seen in any other store. The latest version of the Premium Fresh and Healthy package is also alive and well as it continues to pop up in remodeled stores. Perhaps it has now been retired with these new packages being used in the most recent remodels.
Back to the logo… I would love to see this logo make its way to the outside of the store but I'm betting this will be a similar update to what's going on at Jewel. New logo inside, old logo outside. You can see Jewel's update, which is very similar to Acme's and equally as successful, by clicking here. I am hoping to do full coverage of the Devon remodel in the near future.
What might the Devon store have looked like as a Pantry Pride? It definitely was a Pantry Pride during the 70's and possibly late 60's, but seems to have been one of relatively few Pantry Pride stores not to have been built under the earlier name Food Fair.
ReplyDeleteWhat's strange is that the Kmart next door was a JM Fields, a Kmart-like subsidiary of Food Fair, but Kmart has not remodeled the outside of their building at all since JM Fields closed over 35 years ago! I am also wondering though if Acme did a major remodel to the former Pantry Pride after it closed, because it wasn't too old when the parent company went bankrupt. Would this store have had the 33M facade common in Acme stores of the time? I do know this store was remodeled in the early 90's to match the Acme on Aramingo Avenue in North Philadelphia (which started out as a 33M and now is a Pathmark), but was expanded by Albertsons around 2002 and heavily remodeled again in the process. On top of that, the store had to get new signage yet again around 2005, with the third set of block logo letters the store would receive (!), because the pharmacy was renamed Sav-on as with all Acme pharmacies. The only major change the Kmart next door has seen was the name change to Big Kmart in 1997. I'm a little bit surprised this Acme ever had a pharmacy added, because an Eckerd has been in the parking lot for quite some time. While Eckerd closed a lot of stores well before the chain was finally dissolved (maybe Acme was expecting this Eckerd to close not long after opening), the Eckerd is today a very successful Rite Aid, which wouldn't appear to be closing anytime soon.
Just saw this on Acme's instagram page: http://instagram.com/p/mFmv6aqDQU/
ReplyDeleteIt looks like its possibly a different decor package. -Will
That's 10th and Reed. From other screenshots I've seen, that one looks like it got a variant of the Albertsons Market/LLC decor. Which would mean that the four most recent remodels are using at least three different decor packages - PFH v2, Albertsons Market, and "Cursive" (Devon, which is based on Jewel I think).
DeleteSo at this point we have:
--Maybe one or two stores with Checkerboard Arch
--One store (at least) with Red/White/Blue
--A handful with Chalkboard Market
--Quite a few stores with Industrial Circus
--Many stores with some variant of Marketplace
--A store or two with Awnings
--One Theme Park/Grocery Palace
--A number of stores with some version of Premium Fresh and Healthy v1
--A few with PFH v2
--One with Albertsons Market/LLC decor.
--One with "Cursive" decor.
That's 11 packages. Which is insane. But also fun, because you never know what you're gonna see when you go inside the store!
Impressive list! You could add "Neighborhood Market" to the list as seen in Clayton, St. Michaels and Cape May.
DeleteJust to firm up some numbers off the top of my head:
2 stores with the Checkerboard Arch
3 stores with Theme Park/Grocery Palace
TOO many stores with variants of Marketplace
and none with red/white/blue- Willingboro was just remodeled!
DeleteReports are the Oxford Ave store still has the Red/White/Blue decor.
DeleteOxford ave in Philadelphia still has the red, white, and blue
DeleteTriplicate repeat, but... yeah, Oxford's still proudly wearing the red/white/blue.
Delete(This is Matt btw. I got tired of having to put my name/URL in each time with the annoying captcha.)
Could you possibly visit the new britain, Lansdale and Doylestown stores sometime in the next few weeks? Those stores are all in my area and its a great place to visit. New Britain is located across the street from a former genaurdi's which is now giant. Doylestown is located in the center of town and is next to a shopping center with a weis that is also a former genaurdi's. Lansdale is just like the new britain store, but smaller and has barely any competition. These three stores are fantastic and do great business, so you should really come to visit centeral bucks and eastern Montgomery county!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I have no plans to visit those stores in the near future. I will try to add them to one of my road trips later this year.
DeleteWhat a great new logo! That horrendous old logo should have been replaced long ago.
ReplyDeleteIn the new Bryn Mawr post, you said that there should be different names for the 2 different versions of the Pf&H décor. I have finally come upon a solution-not the best, but a solution nonetheless- call the original Pf&h just as "Fresh and healthy" and the give the "premium" to the later version.
ReplyDeleteWell now what I'm thinking is we need THREE names. You have the deluxe version in stores like Burlington, low budget versions like in Sewell and then the latest the one as seen in Bryn Mawr which I have nicknamed in my head "Paint and Cardboard" cause that's about all it really is.
DeleteHaha! I've been thinking about this.. so here it goes
Delete-PF&H v.1 - Premium Fresh & Healthy (duh)
-PF&H Basic- Fresh & Healthy Basic
-PF&H v.3 - Plexiglas Marketplace
Some possible Devon names
- Fish Eye Décor
- Getting Better Every Day
- Neighborhood Grocer Décor
Oh, and eventually there need to be Décor Directory entries for all of the different versions
I went to 10th and Reed.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in any way, shape, or form an Acme fan, this store is for you. It's the best decor they've used since American Stores. Even more than Devon, this feels like an Acme. I'd even go as far to say it feels kind of like an 80s Acme.
It resembles the Albertsons Market decor, but there are no leaves. Acme logos on everything - mostly just block letter, but checkouts have New Fisheye. Lancaster Brand as large as they could get it. "House that QUALITY Built" right next to the restrooms.
And then... then there's the Wall. The Serving You Since 1891 wall. Here's where it gets awesome. EVERY ACME LOGO IS ON THERE. The fisheye! The red oval (the 100TH ANNIVERSARY one at that)!! Even the combo ACME/SUPERSAVER is there.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15625137@N05/13883748598/in/photostream/
In addition, like the Neighborhood Markets, they have old black and white photos up. This store has a Philadelphia Eagles theme, so the photos are mostly football-themed. As with Devon, no Sav-on branding on the Pharmacy, although it's on the exterior signage.
If you had any doubt these new guys are committed to bringing Acme back, this should obliterate it. The store looks GREAT.
I hope you're right. Can't say I'm a fan of the Alberstons LLC decor. It looks really cheap in their stores. More like what an independent grocer would use on a tight budget. It is nice though to see Acme bringing some of it's history to the decor. A huge reversal from SuperValu and their never-ending quest to get rid of anything "ACME".
Delete