News Break:
365 BY WHOLE FOODS
COMING TO WEEHAWKEN!
COMING TO WEEHAWKEN!
The hits keep coming to the Hudson County Acmes! First up, Trader Joe's opened a beautiful new store in Hoboken certainly drawing shoppers away from the Acme, as well as ShopRite. The map above shows the West New York Acme at the top, followed by the Weehawken store and Hoboken at the bottom. The store that will most likely take the biggest hit is the ridiculously overpriced Kings on Shipyard Lane (not pictured above). Trader Joe's has been a huge success. I'm often in the store when it first opens at 9:00 am. They always have 5 to 6 registers open with a line by 9:15!
Coming to town next is 365 by Whole Foods! The store will open in Weehawken close to the border of Hoboken. 365 is a stripped down version of the company's namesake store. The focus is on prepackaged foods with a minimum of service departments all leading to... lower prices! The store is planned for a Fall 2018 opening. You can read more about it at NorthJersey.com.
In other news, the Jersey City Target is undergoing the company's latest remodel. That will certainly pull more shoppers away from the rapidly deteriorating Acme just next door. Target has also increased the amount of self-checkouts from 12 to 18! Meanwhile you can't get anything rung up at the Acme! I was shopping in the Jersey City store two Saturdays ago. 11:30 am. NO express registers open. 3 regular registers open with lines of full shopping carts. No one in Customer Service. Blows my mind how poorly run that store is. I was getting ready to walk out when I finally found someone who could ring me up at Customer Service. The next day I was in the Edgewater store. 9:30 am and NO express registers open. I really don't understand how Acme thinks they're going to survive in these parts with such terrible customer service. And the craziest thing about it all is that there's a really easy fix... bring back the self-checkouts!!!!
In other news, the Jersey City Target is undergoing the company's latest remodel. That will certainly pull more shoppers away from the rapidly deteriorating Acme just next door. Target has also increased the amount of self-checkouts from 12 to 18! Meanwhile you can't get anything rung up at the Acme! I was shopping in the Jersey City store two Saturdays ago. 11:30 am. NO express registers open. 3 regular registers open with lines of full shopping carts. No one in Customer Service. Blows my mind how poorly run that store is. I was getting ready to walk out when I finally found someone who could ring me up at Customer Service. The next day I was in the Edgewater store. 9:30 am and NO express registers open. I really don't understand how Acme thinks they're going to survive in these parts with such terrible customer service. And the craziest thing about it all is that there's a really easy fix... bring back the self-checkouts!!!!
83,000 SQUARE SHOPRITE
COMING TO SHREWSBURY!
Location: 990 Shrewsbury Avenue, Tinton Falls, NJ
This is not good news for the Tinton Falls Acme. ShopRite will be building a huge new store right behind the old Shrewsbury Acme in an abandoned office complex. The project has only been recently approved and no date has been set for the opening of the new store. Could the Tinton Falls Acme survive against a giant new ShopRite right across the street?
Most if the 365 stores have underperformed and underwhelmed, where ever they have opened.Where it is never helpfull to have any one open in your area, this site won't be much if a worry at this point. Maybe after Amazon takes ownership,but not now. yes
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree. While Whole Foods may not have worked all the kinks out, the demographics in Hoboken and much of Weehawken will make this 365 a huge success.
DeleteThat's ok to disagree, but keep in mind that one if the reasons that Whole Foods was on the market was the failure of this store format to achieve the sales that was expected of it. Check back issues of Morning News Beat a clearing House of Retail articles for a better look at this.
DeleteI am well aware of Whole Food’s troubles in recent years but still have no doubt that the 365 in Weehawken will be a massive success. It will be surrounded by condos and offices in a complex that currently has few food offerings and zero healthy food options. It will also fill a massive void of healthy grab and go food in the area, all with easy parking!
DeleteTo answer the last question (of the Tinton Falls Acme surviving the opening of a gigantic ShopRite)... probably not.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad, because with the new location, Acme SHOULD be equipped to handle this competition. There are enough people in the area to support two modern, traditional grocery stores (don't forget there's a busy Trader Joe's down the block). But the most frustrating thing about Acme these days is that the company refuses to compete on price.
Why?
ShopRite (Wakerfern) has buying power but so does Albertsons/Safeway. There is no reason (other than greed) for prices to be as high as they are. If anything, Acme should be able to match ShopRite on price when it comes to pretty much everything. Instead, Acme continues to make shoppers feel as though they're getting ripped off.
I shop Acme out of something of a necessity. By the time I get home at night, my local Acme is one of three stores still open if I want to pick up a few things (the other two will add about fifteen minutes to my drive when all is said and done, so I reason that the few extra dollars I spend are worth the time I save). But if I have a huge shopping order, I'll plan to go anywhere but the Acme. Wegman's, ShopRite, and even Stop & Shop are cheaper alternatives when it comes to pretty much every item on my list. It shouldn't be this way. Acme has some really nice stores in great locations, but they refuse to compete. The only stores that get really busy are the shore stores, and that's because most of those have no immediate competition.
Pardon me for asking this question, but isn't Albertsons owned by Cerberus Capitol Mgmt., and private investors whereas ShopRite stores are independently owned and operated, and Wegmanns is a family business, Publix an employee owned business and Kroger a true grocery operator. Do you think the fact that Alberstons won't compete is because it is all about the money? Investors want a quick return on their investments. The others are grocery operators run by grocery operators looking for profit but also looking to make customers happy and build a loyal base. None of this exists at ACME unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts folks? Acme style?
Alberstons has a crippling amount of debt which is keeping Acme from being in a better position to compete with ShoRite.
DeleteWakefern-the company that buys and handles logistics for Shop Rite-is extremely aggressive with food manufactures and haggles the lowest price and then passes those savings to the stores.They have more stores than Acme when you add in PriceRite and Fresh Grocer which gives them greater buying power. Acmes buying power is not linked to Albertsons. Shop Rites main advantage is the volume they do. If you take away their volume they can't achieve aggressive deals with suppliers and in turn will need to raise prices. Wegmans seems to be the only retailer hurting them.
ReplyDeleteshopRite is a different animal from chain stores and groups supplied by wholesalers like Super Value. Wajefirm is Co-op completely owned by the store owners.Each owner owns shares in the Warehouse,if the warehouse operations makes Money by pumping out enough product, they all recieve checks at the end of the business year. So the store owners can't rely on their store to make money, by just controlling costs and having higher margins,they have to pump product in huge quantities.
DeleteThe Acmes of this world don't have to do that to survive. They can simply run profitable moderate volume stores. Acmes mix is different relying heavily on Nest and perishable items that are quick turn, high Margin items, rather then groceries that are harder to turn.
The South Plainfield location recently had a brand new, super-sized ShopRite open right across the street from Acme. I wonder how that's going.
ReplyDelete