It's worth noting that they have renderings of the new Sea Isle Acme inside the produce alcove. Quite similar in design to the new LBI, and it looks like we're one step closer to this becoming a reality!
Found out what font the Red/White/Blue decor uses. Eras Bold ITC. Its practically on every computer in the world. I wonder what font the acme logo is. Or maybe its a custom font.
Clifton Pathmark closes tomorrow. Botany Plaza is on its way out, will close the 18th. Their deli, amazingly, was still open and still had fried chicken! Got to savor one last piece.
Looks like the Philly loca has a bumping agreement: http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/judge-urges-ap-boost-severance
Relevant portion:
"However, UFCW Local 1776 in Philadelphia had previously worked out a bumping plan that was approved by the court, according to published reports, with the local agreeing to the stipulation that laid-off workers would accept the same wages and benefits as the less senior employees they bump.
lol, chris p. agreed that's one thing ill miss about Pathmark that A&P didn't screw up was its delicious delicatessen Hot bar cooked (baked and fried) chicken. back in the old days (before Wegmans re wrote the rules of the road) in fact Pathmark IMO had the best hot deli department and bakery on the East coast. they were the innovators that made the other guys ( Shoprite, A&P and even ACME ) up the stakes and be better themselves, oh how the mighty have gone.
Have you heard about the mess with Haggen out west? It's nuts...stores were a complete failure, with prices being incredibly high even by SoCal standards, they're facing lawsuits for firing/laying off developmentally disabled employees they inherited from Albertsons/Safeway, they fired someone else for being a whistleblower on higher prices at the checkstands than listed, Albertsons is suing them $40M for unpaid inventory, Haggen is counter-suing for $1 BILLION for "sabotaging" the stores (only this after the stores are big losers) and the unions are suing both for putting the former Safeway/Albertsons employees in jeopardy and Haggen not honoring the union.
Regardless of Albertson’s actions, I don’t see how Haggen could have succeeded. It was a chain of less than 20 stores trying to swallow almost 150 more. It had no experience in running such a far-flung enterprise and would have had to have exemplary management to scale up so big, so quickly. To say they bit off more than they could chew is an understatement.
According to Haggen's lawsuit, Albertson's was basically looking for a sucker to unload the stores onto to satisfy the FTC to get the deal done. Then they intentionally let center store run down and overordered on perishables to create out of stocks and waste. Then they demanded that Haggen pay them the money they owed for store inventory.
Then there is the whole separate issue with Haggen raising their prices. There is a current lawsuit by a former scanning coordinator who noticed that items were ringing up at higher prices than on the shelf tags. Her contact with the person above her went ignored, so she contacted a VP or President of her region. That really angered some executive (probably a DM) and the scanner's boss. They told the store manager to find a way to fire her. So she reluctantly retired, even though she wanted to stay on a few more years. So now she is suing Haggen for like $1 million. It's all getting very ugly.
Even if Albertsons wasn't acting entirely in good faith (a few stores went to independents, but the fact that no stores were sold to Ralphs was a bit surprising, unless Haggen jumped on the first chance they had), it sure is convenient that Haggen only brings this up not soon after opening their stores but after the stores didn't catch on with Southern California shoppers and stores are already closing.
Either way, to make the case, they have to prove that the stores would've been a success if it weren't for Albertsons backstabbing them (if they did at all, or to what degree), though I just don't think they can.
Haggen's distribution of stores isn't even contiguous along the West Coast, as the Northern California area didn't have any divesting stores for Haggen to take over because Cerberus already divested the Northern Califronia division. Haggen's lawsuit reeks of desperation in a market that they obviously couldn't handle even in the best of situations. I know that SuperValu is supplying the southern California/Arizona stores, and I can imagine a scenario where SuperValu could take those stores back in-house.
When will the purchased A&P stores start reopening as Acme stores? I'd like to see what, if any, remodels Acme does to them. A lot of times these quick-and-dirty conversions are done with just deleting the obvious logos of the old company, changing price tags, and re-training employees, but that's assuming kept-up stores, and some of those A&P stores could use a good cleaning.
Great timing. People get real sensitive when things happen "right around the holidays." Hopefully Acme won't keep the stores closed too long and they can get them stocked up with holiday merchandise to have a successful Christmas and New Year's.
But how much work is gonna need doing? I don't know how long Acme can afford to keep some of their purchases closed, especially Saddle Brook and Allendale. Allendale has no other food store and people still travel to go to.ShopRite or Stop & Shop in Waldwick, Ramsey,.and what have you. Saddle Brook is in a tough spot because of the new Teterboro Walmart, plus you have Inserra's giant Lodi Shoprite not too far away.
Hearing from someone who used to work for the Clifton store that Montclair is going to be a quick turnaround (I work with this person, who also told me that if able, they will go to that store).
Rode by Pathmark on Paulison Saturday. Found it empty, but completely lit on the outside and inside (signs were still up, store lights were all on). Guess they haven't gotten down to breaking down yet.
They're not going to close the stores for more than a day or two. Registers will get switched out, some signage changes and bam.. .the stores will reopen. That's how it went down with Stop&Shop/Grand Union and Jewel/Dominicks. Remodels will follow later.
Actually, I would lean more towards a week. Only because I'm speaking from experience as that's how long we were shut at the old Clifton GU before we reopened as S&S.
According to the "Integration in Action" newsletter on the employee site, the 2nd and Girard Superfresh was identified as the first store to get "converted". No dates were mentioned.
The newsletter also mentioned 70 stores instead of 76. I wonder if this was just someone rounding off, or if they were ordered to get rid of six stores to satisfy FTC etc.
I'm betting that it's what I actually predicted when this whole story broke--that Acme won't be reopening all the stores and might end up a few too close in proximity to existing (better) Acme stores, and subletting those stores instead.
Actually it looks like 5 stores - 4 are in NY state and the one in Newark, DE. That one is smaller/older so they may have found it not feasible to take over. The NY stores are not near any other Acme locations (except other ones they are acquiring) so that would not be an issue for them being too close.
It looks like the "it's just better" campaign is across the whole chain, even down in Houston where Safeway nearly killed the chain, like the ad this week, and in Albertsons stores too. While it's nice to see unified promotions (and no "Ingredients for Life" in former Safeway-owned stores either!), all the websites for the old Safeway stores (Dominick's, Tom Thumb, Vons, etc.) haven't been changed.
Acme is still using the “You’re in for something fresh” tag in this week’s ad while Safeway's Delaware ad has the “it’s just better.” tag. (Not sure I get the all lower case and the use of the period.)
Acme has been stuck with "You're in for something fresh" since the SuperValu days. It's always been pretty pointless since they've never put any emphasis on that message. Seems the circular is the only place it’s still being used and even then, it’s only on the front cover. It's been gone from the website for a while now.
The "It's Just Better" campaign seems to be more apt considering the stores, we've got a brand that split in two and closed hundreds of stores, we've got a chain that hasn't done anything in a decade and could never figure out how to run outside divisions, we've got one of the oldest operating brands in America with a reputation for dirty and overpriced stores (no, not A&P), and we've got a chain where it literally went from number one traditional supermarket in the market to almost last (having lost some 75% of its market share). I'm not sure how much Albertsons Companies can deliver. The reputations and market share of these names have deteriorated, and while stores can be fixed up, lowered prices, expanded, and have better merchandise mixes, it will still be a long road ahead. Stay strong, Acme. Stay strong, Jewel-Osco. Stay strong, Randalls. Don't just say you'll be better. BE BETTER.
Same store sales continue to rise, prices are lower than they were under SuperValu, remodels are sweeping through the chain, and store count may just double with additional acquisitions so yeah, Acme is getting better.
Not exactly supermarket news, but the Exton Square Mall is the filming location for Kevin Smith's MallBrats for early next year- he originally wanted to film at the Granite Run Mall, but he couldn't come to an agreement with management there. He filmed the original one at a mall in Minnesota.
One detail about the Granite Run Acme that I find odd is this: it still has an italic "pharmacy" sign on the front, even though the store signage is now mismatched because the italic "food" sign was replaced with a non-italic "cold beer" sign when Frosted Mug got added.
Okay, so here's a weird situation. Paulison Pathmark not only still has its signs up on the outside, but the lights are all still on in the store AND the registers are all operational. Nobody ever bothered to turn them off. And the store closed a week ago. Wonder what the deal is.
A&P is auctioning off the contents of the stores one by one. The auctioneer is Grafe co. I was able to buy a Neon Deitz& Watson sign from the blue bell superfresh.
Article about the Clifton situation http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/city-seeks-tenants-for-empty-food-stores-1.1412618?page=all
Interesting quote: "Anzaldi said the lease for the former Acme location is still active, but Acme's parent company, Albertsons, may sublet the property to another tenant.
"Acme themselves or Albertsons will try to get some other tenants or tenant in the building, but the landlords of the property have the right to reject," he added.
A message left for Styertowne Shopping Center's property manager on the status of the property was not returned. However, Anzaldi said to his knowledge the businesses were "very close" to writing up a contract for the space, and expected an announcement in the next month."
I believe there have been questions about house brands and procedures/policies across the new Albertsafeway. Here in Southern California, "Safeway Select" is slowly being replaced by "Signature Select" and the "Signature Kitchens," "Signature Farms," etc is replacing "Safeway..." According to the floral manager at my local (and very tiny) VONS, Albertsons innovations like fresh-cut fruit, yogurt parfait cups, and freshly-made salsa are on their way. The pre-packaged boneless/skinless chicken breast is being replaced with "hand-trimmed" chicken, just like at Albertsons.
It looks like the "Signature Kitchens" trademark was applied for Safeway back in early February 2015. Honestly, having the Safeway brand in non-Safeway stores (Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi's, and Dominick's) never really made sense and contributed to the fact why the market share of those stores (maybe except Vons) went down the tubes.
I drove behind the Acme/Big Lots in Norristown today. There still is a "produce" sign on the old produce door! Keep in mind, it's been almost 15 years since that Acme closed.
Yes! It's completely unique. Last time I was there, they were beginning to do a little "fixing-up": some minor repainting, adding some prepared foods, adding a catering counter, but I don't think they've changed the decor at all. I live fairly close to it, and while it's a unique store, and a good store, it's a little hard to do food shopping there, as it's always crowded, and the aisles are too narrow. But it's definitely worth seeing!
Auction of the Holmdel A&P on 9/23. Equipment, wall graphics and more! (massive photo gallery) http://www.grafeauction.com/auction_detail.php?id=269840#detail-tabs-morephotos
Acme is reducing their store purchase count. They are excluding four stores in NY - Yonkers, Croton on Hudson, Milwood and Bedford. They are also not buying the Superfresh in Newark DE. I can't blame them on that last one, it is an older store that is very small and needs a lot of work. Will be interesting to see if someone else takes it over, or if Acme customers will have to travel to the existing store in Suburban Plaza (3.5 miles away) or the current Pathmark in College Square (3.2 miles away).
Key Foods is also having some issues with the union. Key Foods wants to reduce the number of full time jobs in the stores they want to buy and replace them with more part time jobs.
I think it does fairly well. There are also communities located near the store, and the people over the line in Pennsylvania don't have a close grocery store to go to, either.
But most of the growth on the college campus (housing) has been in other areas. I think they did some further research and decided that the amount they would have to invest in the store to bring it up to their standards would probably be too much.
In related news, the court approved the sale of the stores to Acme and Stop & Shop. The Key Foods bid has been reopened to other bidders, though Key Foods still remains interested in the stores.
The rest of the stores that didn't get bid on are set to go to auction on October 1st and 2nd. We should know on the 3rd who (if anyone) bids on the stores. It will be interesting to see if any other chains jump in or if any real estate companies buy any stores that A&P owns.
There used to be an Albertsons (built as Skaggs Albertsons, then switched teams to Skaggs Alpha Beta, across from where I went to college and did relatively well, even though it was small (though open 24 hours). Unfortunately, in 1997, Albertsons closed the store in favor of a large (like, 80k square feet) Randalls a few miles away. The closure left a huge campus with no nearby pharmacies or anything close to a convenience store until a CVS opened in 2012, and that became the chain's best store in town. Baylor used to have a small early 1970s H-E-B as well, but closed that in favor of a larger store a few miles away too. Albertsons itself had a good spot across from TCU and under Cerberus had planned to sell the plot to a developer, have them develop it into a mixed-use property, and possibly lease back space, but then the recession happened and the store became Kroger instead. Oops.
You should visit the three shopping centers at FM 528 and Bay Area Blvd in Webster/Friendswood. That intersection had a Safeway across from a Randalls. Then Kroger bought the Safeway. Sometime not long after that, Albertsons opened on the opposite corner. Kroger moved to the Albertsons building and Randalls eventually closed.
Well, this is Albertsons related, but some of the rumblings about the Vons distribution centers closing are coming true...Albertsons is planning to sell the Clackamas, Santa Fe Springs, and El Monte distribution centers, as there's overlap.
NorthJersey.com is reporting that they have broke ground on the new Montvale Wegman's. This new store will be close to the current A&P soon to be Acme's in Woodcliff Lake and Park Ridge.
It closed in early 2002 at the same time as Albertsons withdrew from Houston, San Antonio, Nashville, and Memphis. Several urban Phila Acme stores closed at the same time.
Looks like Wakefern/Shoprite is in to bid on a handful of Pathmark/A&P locations: 'A&P stores in Danbury, Conn., and Lagrangeville, N.Y.; two Pathmark stores in New York (Bethpage and New Hyde Park); a Waldbaums store in Deer Park, N.Y.; and seven Pathmark stores in Pennsylvania (Brookhaven, Glenolden, Wyncote, Upper Darby and Philadelphia — Oregon Avenue, Aramingo Avenue and Monument Avenue.)' http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/wakefern-morton-williams-make-ap-bids#ixzz3mt7AdgjB
I'm guessing some of the Philly locations will either be relocations or they will expand the PriceRite banner in the area.
Upper Darby, City Line and Brookhaven to "the fresh grocer", Glenolden to Collins SR, Wyncote, Oregon, Aramingo becoming PriceRite AND Brown gets Grays Ferry for SUPER enhanced ShopRite, catering to Center City with Kosher Experience and ShopRite from Home, hiring all 1034 workers"
*Talk in the breakroom yesterday mentioned a rumor that Acme is trying to bid for Greys Ferry Pathmark location as well. This was mentioned by a person who had just come over from Pathmark on Oregon. This getting interesting....
The auction is to be held tomorrow and Saturday, so we should know more by Monday as to who gets what.
I am surprised fresh grocer took Brookhaven. It is right next to a city that is pretty much a food desert (Chester) and I think it would have done well as a Shoprite. There is a Giant next door as well. I haven't been in that area in a long time so I can't say as to what the stores are doing. I do also remember a Sav-A-Lot just down the street as well.
Nice to see PriceRite expanding to Philly. I will have to visit one of the stores once they make the transition - I've never been in one of their stores before.
The superfresh at 2nd and Girard has officially become Acme's 108th store effective 3:00 today from what coworkers told me. The grand opening will be this weekend!
LOL that's what co workers were telling me. Never thought to ask if the store would be closed for an period of time or not.
According to what I read on message boards the store has been running lean for about the past month or so with shortages of certain products (bagged produce, vinegar, etc) I'm pretty sure the America's Choice items were marked down for quick sale as well.
They were recruiting cashiers from our store last week to take shifts at 2nd and Girard as part of the opening, and a few more department managers are marked on the schedule this week as "training" and were not present in the store today. I'm assuming this training is of the Superfresh associates.
This is based on what coworkers have told me. Never bothered to ask if the store would be closed for a period of time.
Some cashiers here have signed up to take part of the grand opening, and a few department managers are marked on the schedule as "training". Since they were not in the store yesterday, I'm assuming this training involves the Superfresh associates.
Monday was when the location legally became Acme's
The store is currently closed and all perishables/SF brand products were removed and donated.
A reset is currently underway as well as associate retraining. I've been told the store might reopen as early as tomorrow, but it will definitely be open Friday as Acme.
Anybody here know the old Hackettstown Acme, which until a couple years ago was a Ford dealer? Well now it's being prepped to open as a Dollar General- exterior signage has already gone up.
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ReplyDeleteI am no longer on my blogger profile.
DeleteIt's worth noting that they have renderings of the new Sea Isle Acme inside the produce alcove. Quite similar in design to the new LBI, and it looks like we're one step closer to this becoming a reality!
ReplyDeleteFound out what font the Red/White/Blue decor uses. Eras Bold ITC. Its practically on every computer in the world. I wonder what font the acme logo is. Or maybe its a custom font.
ReplyDeleteAll 3 fonts that acme used (Script, Fish Eye / Oval, and Block) are most likely custom
DeleteHeard that A&P is planning on closing unsold locations in Delaware in November. Wonder how the bumping meetings with the unions are going.
ReplyDeleteIf the meetings in New Jersey are any indication, bad.
DeleteClifton Pathmark closes tomorrow. Botany Plaza is on its way out, will close the 18th. Their deli, amazingly, was still open and still had fried chicken! Got to savor one last piece.
DeleteLooks like the Philly loca has a bumping agreement: http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/judge-urges-ap-boost-severance
DeleteRelevant portion:
"However, UFCW Local 1776 in Philadelphia had previously worked out a bumping plan that was approved by the court, according to published reports, with the local agreeing to the stipulation that laid-off workers would accept the same wages and benefits as the less senior employees they bump.
Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/judge-urges-ap-boost-severance#ixzz3kjAWgyty
lol, chris p. agreed that's one thing ill miss about Pathmark that A&P didn't screw up was its delicious delicatessen Hot bar cooked (baked and fried) chicken. back in the old days (before Wegmans re wrote the rules of the road) in fact Pathmark IMO had the best hot deli department and bakery on the East coast. they were the innovators that made the other guys ( Shoprite, A&P and even ACME ) up the stakes and be better themselves, oh how the mighty have gone.
DeleteHave you heard about the mess with Haggen out west? It's nuts...stores were a complete failure, with prices being incredibly high even by SoCal standards, they're facing lawsuits for firing/laying off developmentally disabled employees they inherited from Albertsons/Safeway, they fired someone else for being a whistleblower on higher prices at the checkstands than listed, Albertsons is suing them $40M for unpaid inventory, Haggen is counter-suing for $1 BILLION for "sabotaging" the stores (only this after the stores are big losers) and the unions are suing both for putting the former Safeway/Albertsons employees in jeopardy and Haggen not honoring the union.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of Albertson’s actions, I don’t see how Haggen could have succeeded. It was a chain of less than 20 stores trying to swallow almost 150 more. It had no experience in running such a far-flung enterprise and would have had to have exemplary management to scale up so big, so quickly. To say they bit off more than they could chew is an understatement.
DeleteAccording to Haggen's lawsuit, Albertson's was basically looking for a sucker to unload the stores onto to satisfy the FTC to get the deal done. Then they intentionally let center store run down and overordered on perishables to create out of stocks and waste. Then they demanded that Haggen pay them the money they owed for store inventory.
DeleteThen there is the whole separate issue with Haggen raising their prices. There is a current lawsuit by a former scanning coordinator who noticed that items were ringing up at higher prices than on the shelf tags. Her contact with the person above her went ignored, so she contacted a VP or President of her region. That really angered some executive (probably a DM) and the scanner's boss. They told the store manager to find a way to fire her. So she reluctantly retired, even though she wanted to stay on a few more years. So now she is suing Haggen for like $1 million. It's all getting very ugly.
Even if Albertsons wasn't acting entirely in good faith (a few stores went to independents, but the fact that no stores were sold to Ralphs was a bit surprising, unless Haggen jumped on the first chance they had), it sure is convenient that Haggen only brings this up not soon after opening their stores but after the stores didn't catch on with Southern California shoppers and stores are already closing.
DeleteEither way, to make the case, they have to prove that the stores would've been a success if it weren't for Albertsons backstabbing them (if they did at all, or to what degree), though I just don't think they can.
Haggen's distribution of stores isn't even contiguous along the West Coast, as the Northern California area didn't have any divesting stores for Haggen to take over because Cerberus already divested the Northern Califronia division. Haggen's lawsuit reeks of desperation in a market that they obviously couldn't handle even in the best of situations. I know that SuperValu is supplying the southern California/Arizona stores, and I can imagine a scenario where SuperValu could take those stores back in-house.
ReplyDeleteWhen will the purchased A&P stores start reopening as Acme stores? I'd like to see what, if any, remodels Acme does to them. A lot of times these quick-and-dirty conversions are done with just deleting the obvious logos of the old company, changing price tags, and re-training employees, but that's assuming kept-up stores, and some of those A&P stores could use a good cleaning.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it's happening right after Thanksgiving. The A&P and Parhmark employees in my area are getting laid off on Thanksgiving Day.
DeleteGreat timing. People get real sensitive when things happen "right around the holidays." Hopefully Acme won't keep the stores closed too long and they can get them stocked up with holiday merchandise to have a successful Christmas and New Year's.
DeleteBut how much work is gonna need doing? I don't know how long Acme can afford to keep some of their purchases closed, especially Saddle Brook and Allendale. Allendale has no other food store and people still travel to go to.ShopRite or Stop & Shop in Waldwick, Ramsey,.and what have you. Saddle Brook is in a tough spot because of the new Teterboro Walmart, plus you have Inserra's giant Lodi Shoprite not too far away.
DeleteHearing from someone who used to work for the Clifton store that Montclair is going to be a quick turnaround (I work with this person, who also told me that if able, they will go to that store).
Rode by Pathmark on Paulison Saturday. Found it empty, but completely lit on the outside and inside (signs were still up, store lights were all on). Guess they haven't gotten down to breaking down yet.
They're not going to close the stores for more than a day or two. Registers will get switched out, some signage changes and bam.. .the stores will reopen. That's how it went down with Stop&Shop/Grand Union and Jewel/Dominicks. Remodels will follow later.
DeleteActually, I would lean more towards a week. Only because I'm speaking from experience as that's how long we were shut at the old Clifton GU before we reopened as S&S.
DeleteAccording to the "Integration in Action" newsletter on the employee site, the 2nd and Girard Superfresh was identified as the first store to get "converted". No dates were mentioned.
DeleteThe newsletter also mentioned 70 stores instead of 76. I wonder if this was just someone rounding off, or if they were ordered to get rid of six stores to satisfy FTC etc.
I'm betting that it's what I actually predicted when this whole story broke--that Acme won't be reopening all the stores and might end up a few too close in proximity to existing (better) Acme stores, and subletting those stores instead.
DeleteThey won't be reopening these 6 stores because they're not buying them.
DeleteActually it looks like 5 stores - 4 are in NY state and the one in Newark, DE.
DeleteThat one is smaller/older so they may have found it not feasible to take over. The NY stores are not near any other Acme locations (except other ones they are acquiring) so that would not be an issue for them being too close.
The latest IIA newsletter says 71 stores now so an agreement must have been reached on Gladwynne.
DeleteIt looks like the "it's just better" campaign is across the whole chain, even down in Houston where Safeway nearly killed the chain, like the ad this week, and in Albertsons stores too. While it's nice to see unified promotions (and no "Ingredients for Life" in former Safeway-owned stores either!), all the websites for the old Safeway stores (Dominick's, Tom Thumb, Vons, etc.) haven't been changed.
ReplyDeleteAcme is still using the “You’re in for something fresh” tag in this week’s ad while Safeway's Delaware ad has the “it’s just better.” tag. (Not sure I get the all lower case and the use of the period.)
DeleteAcme has been stuck with "You're in for something fresh" since the SuperValu days. It's always been pretty pointless since they've never put any emphasis on that message. Seems the circular is the only place it’s still being used and even then, it’s only on the front cover. It's been gone from the website for a while now.
DeleteThe "It's Just Better" campaign seems to be more apt considering the stores, we've got a brand that split in two and closed hundreds of stores, we've got a chain that hasn't done anything in a decade and could never figure out how to run outside divisions, we've got one of the oldest operating brands in America with a reputation for dirty and overpriced stores (no, not A&P), and we've got a chain where it literally went from number one traditional supermarket in the market to almost last (having lost some 75% of its market share). I'm not sure how much Albertsons Companies can deliver. The reputations and market share of these names have deteriorated, and while stores can be fixed up, lowered prices, expanded, and have better merchandise mixes, it will still be a long road ahead. Stay strong, Acme. Stay strong, Jewel-Osco. Stay strong, Randalls. Don't just say you'll be better. BE BETTER.
DeleteSame store sales continue to rise, prices are lower than they were under SuperValu, remodels are sweeping through the chain, and store count may just double with additional acquisitions so yeah, Acme is getting better.
DeleteNot exactly supermarket news, but the Exton Square Mall is the filming location for Kevin Smith's MallBrats for early next year- he originally wanted to film at the Granite Run Mall, but he couldn't come to an agreement with management there. He filmed the original one at a mall in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame! I literally JUST turned 22 and I also JUST started a part-time job at Kohl's at Granite Run. Was really hoping to watch the action.
DeleteExton Square isn't even empty... it isn't even small like Granite Run either. It reminds me a lot of the west wing of King of Prussia Mall.
One detail about the Granite Run Acme that I find odd is this: it still has an italic "pharmacy" sign on the front, even though the store signage is now mismatched because the italic "food" sign was replaced with a non-italic "cold beer" sign when Frosted Mug got added.
DeleteHaggen filed for Chapter 11 - no surprise there.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so here's a weird situation. Paulison Pathmark not only still has its signs up on the outside, but the lights are all still on in the store AND the registers are all operational. Nobody ever bothered to turn them off. And the store closed a week ago. Wonder what the deal is.
ReplyDeleteHow would you know about the registers if the store is closed for good?
DeleteYou can see them through the windows. They're still on at the abandoned Clifton Acme too.
DeleteA&P is auctioning off the contents of the stores one by one. The auctioneer is Grafe co. I was able to buy a Neon Deitz& Watson sign from the blue bell superfresh.
DeleteCool! I went to their website and you can shop for all sorts of stuff... and get a look at some of the interiors of the stores...
Deletehttp://www.grafeauction.com/auction_list.php
Article about the Clifton situation
Deletehttp://www.northjersey.com/news/business/city-seeks-tenants-for-empty-food-stores-1.1412618?page=all
Interesting quote:
"Anzaldi said the lease for the former Acme location is still active, but Acme's parent company, Albertsons, may sublet the property to another tenant.
"Acme themselves or Albertsons will try to get some other tenants or tenant in the building, but the landlords of the property have the right to reject," he added.
A message left for Styertowne Shopping Center's property manager on the status of the property was not returned. However, Anzaldi said to his knowledge the businesses were "very close" to writing up a contract for the space, and expected an announcement in the next month."
Well that explains why Acme hasn't cleared the place out yet.
DeleteThey could take the bakery sign out and use it here LOL. Ours is all bent out of shape.
DeleteIt still makes me wonder why Acme closed the Clifton store when their lease was still active. Was the store that much of a failure?
DeleteI believe there have been questions about house brands and procedures/policies across the new Albertsafeway. Here in Southern California, "Safeway Select" is slowly being replaced by "Signature Select" and the "Signature Kitchens," "Signature Farms," etc is replacing "Safeway..." According to the floral manager at my local (and very tiny) VONS, Albertsons innovations like fresh-cut fruit, yogurt parfait cups, and freshly-made salsa are on their way. The pre-packaged boneless/skinless chicken breast is being replaced with "hand-trimmed" chicken, just like at Albertsons.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the "Signature Kitchens" trademark was applied for Safeway back in early February 2015. Honestly, having the Safeway brand in non-Safeway stores (Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi's, and Dominick's) never really made sense and contributed to the fact why the market share of those stores (maybe except Vons) went down the tubes.
DeleteI drove behind the Acme/Big Lots in Norristown today. There still is a "produce" sign on the old produce door! Keep in mind, it's been almost 15 years since that Acme closed.
ReplyDeleteI heard the ShopRite in Caldwell, NJ has a cool Asian themed décor. If anyone here has been there, is it worth checking out?
ReplyDeleteYes! It's completely unique. Last time I was there, they were beginning to do a little "fixing-up": some minor repainting, adding some prepared foods, adding a catering counter, but I don't think they've changed the decor at all. I live fairly close to it, and while it's a unique store, and a good store, it's a little hard to do food shopping there, as it's always crowded, and the aisles are too narrow. But it's definitely worth seeing!
DeleteJust by looking up pictures I want to go there.
DeleteAuction of the Holmdel A&P on 9/23. Equipment, wall graphics and more! (massive photo gallery)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.grafeauction.com/auction_detail.php?id=269840#detail-tabs-morephotos
Acme is reducing their store purchase count. They are excluding four stores in NY - Yonkers, Croton on Hudson, Milwood and Bedford. They are also not buying the Superfresh in Newark DE. I can't blame them on that last one, it is an older store that is very small and needs a lot of work. Will be interesting to see if someone else takes it over, or if Acme customers will have to travel to the existing store in Suburban Plaza (3.5 miles away) or the current Pathmark in College Square (3.2 miles away).
ReplyDeleteKey Foods is also having some issues with the union. Key Foods wants to reduce the number of full time jobs in the stores they want to buy and replace them with more part time jobs.
Although a smaller store, you'd have to think it would do reasonably well most of the year, being literally across the street from the college campus?
ReplyDeleteOr at least that it COULD do well, if they focused the merchandising on that demographic.
I think it does fairly well. There are also communities located near the store, and the people over the line in Pennsylvania don't have a close grocery store to go to, either.
DeleteBut most of the growth on the college campus (housing) has been in other areas. I think they did some further research and decided that the amount they would have to invest in the store to bring it up to their standards would probably be too much.
In related news, the court approved the sale of the stores to Acme and Stop & Shop. The Key Foods bid has been reopened to other bidders, though Key Foods still remains interested in the stores.
The rest of the stores that didn't get bid on are set to go to auction on October 1st and 2nd. We should know on the 3rd who (if anyone) bids on the stores. It will be interesting to see if any other chains jump in or if any real estate companies buy any stores that A&P owns.
There used to be an Albertsons (built as Skaggs Albertsons, then switched teams to Skaggs Alpha Beta, across from where I went to college and did relatively well, even though it was small (though open 24 hours). Unfortunately, in 1997, Albertsons closed the store in favor of a large (like, 80k square feet) Randalls a few miles away. The closure left a huge campus with no nearby pharmacies or anything close to a convenience store until a CVS opened in 2012, and that became the chain's best store in town. Baylor used to have a small early 1970s H-E-B as well, but closed that in favor of a larger store a few miles away too. Albertsons itself had a good spot across from TCU and under Cerberus had planned to sell the plot to a developer, have them develop it into a mixed-use property, and possibly lease back space, but then the recession happened and the store became Kroger instead. Oops.
ReplyDeleteYou should visit the three shopping centers at FM 528 and Bay Area Blvd in Webster/Friendswood. That intersection had a Safeway across from a Randalls. Then Kroger bought the Safeway. Sometime not long after that, Albertsons opened on the opposite corner. Kroger moved to the Albertsons building and Randalls eventually closed.
DeleteWell, this is Albertsons related, but some of the rumblings about the Vons distribution centers closing are coming true...Albertsons is planning to sell the Clackamas, Santa Fe Springs, and El Monte distribution centers, as there's overlap.
ReplyDeleteNorthJersey.com is reporting that they have broke ground on the new Montvale Wegman's. This new store will be close to the current A&P soon to be Acme's in Woodcliff Lake and Park Ridge.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.northjersey.com/news/montvale-wegmans-project-breaks-ground-depiero-s-farm-store-open-through-november-1.1417639
Looks like the Haggen group will be shrinking back to an area closer to their original footprint:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.progressivegrocer.com/industry-news-trends/regional-supermarket-chains/haggen-exit-pacific-southwest-will-realign-pacific-northwest-ops?cc=10
Does anybody know more about the millsboro, de acme?
ReplyDeleteIt closed in early 2002 at the same time as Albertsons withdrew from Houston, San Antonio, Nashville, and Memphis. Several urban Phila Acme stores closed at the same time.
DeleteAcme blamed its closure on road construction in front of the store. You can read more about the store here on Acme Style.
Deletehttp://acmestyleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/former-acme-millsboro-de-part-2.html
Looks like Wakefern/Shoprite is in to bid on a handful of Pathmark/A&P locations:
ReplyDelete'A&P stores in Danbury, Conn., and Lagrangeville, N.Y.; two Pathmark stores in New York (Bethpage and New Hyde Park); a Waldbaums store in Deer Park, N.Y.; and seven Pathmark stores in Pennsylvania (Brookhaven, Glenolden, Wyncote, Upper Darby and Philadelphia — Oregon Avenue, Aramingo Avenue and Monument Avenue.)'
http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/wakefern-morton-williams-make-ap-bids#ixzz3mt7AdgjB
I'm guessing some of the Philly locations will either be relocations or they will expand the PriceRite banner in the area.
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jane-von-bergen/20150929_ShopRite_bids_for_A_P_stores.html#disqus_thread
DeleteFrom philly.com online commentary:
"ShopRite has the ANSWER EC1981 • 18 hours ago
Upper Darby, City Line and Brookhaven to "the fresh grocer", Glenolden to Collins SR, Wyncote, Oregon, Aramingo becoming PriceRite AND Brown gets Grays Ferry for SUPER enhanced ShopRite, catering to Center City with Kosher Experience and ShopRite from Home, hiring all 1034 workers"
*Talk in the breakroom yesterday mentioned a rumor that Acme is trying to bid for Greys Ferry Pathmark location as well. This was mentioned by a person who had just come over from Pathmark on Oregon. This getting interesting....
The auction is to be held tomorrow and Saturday, so we should know more by Monday as to who gets what.
DeleteI am surprised fresh grocer took Brookhaven. It is right next to a city that is pretty much a food desert (Chester) and I think it would have done well as a Shoprite. There is a Giant next door as well. I haven't been in that area in a long time so I can't say as to what the stores are doing. I do also remember a Sav-A-Lot just down the street as well.
Nice to see PriceRite expanding to Philly. I will have to visit one of the stores once they make the transition - I've never been in one of their stores before.
The superfresh at 2nd and Girard has officially become Acme's 108th store effective 3:00 today from what coworkers told me. The grand opening will be this weekend!
ReplyDeleteThat fast a turnover? Like, one could go into a Superfresh and out of an Acme?
DeleteLOL that's what co workers were telling me. Never thought to ask if the store would be closed for an period of time or not.
DeleteAccording to what I read on message boards the store has been running lean for about the past month or so with shortages of certain products (bagged produce, vinegar, etc) I'm pretty sure the America's Choice items were marked down for quick sale as well.
They were recruiting cashiers from our store last week to take shifts at 2nd and Girard as part of the opening, and a few more department managers are marked on the schedule this week as "training" and were not present in the store today. I'm assuming this training is of the Superfresh associates.
I'll ask around today to see what's up....
This is based on what coworkers have told me. Never bothered to ask if the store would be closed for a period of time.
DeleteSome cashiers here have signed up to take part of the grand opening, and a few department managers are marked on the schedule as "training". Since they were not in the store yesterday, I'm assuming this training involves the Superfresh associates.
Are there makeshift Acme banners up?
DeleteOk, this is what I was just told:
DeleteMonday was when the location legally became Acme's
The store is currently closed and all perishables/SF brand products were removed and donated.
A reset is currently underway as well as associate retraining. I've been told the store might reopen as early as tomorrow, but it will definitely be open Friday as Acme.
Morrisville, PA appears to have a former pitched-roof Acme! Take a look at this picture:
ReplyDeletehttp://hiddentrenton.com/pushing-produce-in-pennsylvania/
The former Acme is included in the original Morrisville post...
Deletehttp://acmestyleblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/acmes-of-morrisville-pa.html
Anybody here know the old Hackettstown Acme, which until a couple years ago was a Ford dealer? Well now it's being prepped to open as a Dollar General- exterior signage has already gone up.
ReplyDelete