Wow... how the mighty have fallen! One of Acme's top locations for years is officially being run out business. I had been to this Acme many times back in the 90's and the place would be packed! On a weekday afternoon! It was the busiest Acme I had ever seen. But that was a long time ago and Acme has apparently let this place go straight down the tubes. Check out the absolute scathing reviews on yelp for more details. This store will close on June 8th. To jump to the King of Prussia store post, please click here.
This store hasn't been covered on the blog. If anyone can get us some photos before it closes, please let me know. Pictures are in and the store will go up on the blog this Friday! You can see the Acme that existed on this site before the 90's superstore was built by clicking here. You can check out some interior photos on google.
You can read more details about the closings on
Since they just redid Naaman's Rd, I have a feeling the Safeway across the street will be getting the axe before too long.
ReplyDeleteAw, the speedway store? Boo.
ReplyDeleteNot closing. Direct from the Acme Facebook page.
ReplyDeleteI can't find that info and Acme spokeswoman Dana Ward is telling news outlets that it IS closing.
DeleteLooks like Dover, Lansdale and King of Prussia are all on the chopping block:
Deletehttps://www.google.com/amp/s/delawarestatenews.net/news/acme-market-in-dover-will-close-in-june/amp/
I called King of Prussia and Lansdale last night to confirm the closings. At that point I still couldn't find any official announcements online.
DeleteIn all due fairness, Dover is not ehat it use ti be. The mall is in decline and there are emoty store frints up abd down route 13. The town its self gas a verry high poverty rate that simply did not exist25 tears ago. The down town area us an empty shell. Towns like Middletown abd Camden have surplanted Dover as the place to shop fir people from nearby Maryland. In short it is a dead town a walking.
ReplyDeleteThe last couple of times I visited King Of Prussia it was absolutely empty of customers. Sad. Used to be the closest to me after the round of closings in NEPA. But now there are other options.
ReplyDeleteI remember when this store replaced the unit at the KOP mall. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked for Acme this store was constantly featured in The Trumpeter; it was obviously one of their flagship locations. Didn't a Wegmans open in a nearby shopping center? If so I can imagine that was the final nail in the coffin.
DeleteClosing because the stores did not meet corporate sales goals. Hard to meet any goal when the company doesn’t sink a dime into the stores. King of Prussia and Lansdale are outdated, dirty, and have had horrible management for years. The main office is in Malvern.. Nobody went into the King of Prussia store over the past 5 years and said “wow this place really sucks, let’s try to do something about it.” Zero effort made. If a chain is only successful in locations where there is little or no competition, the business model is failing. This isn’t rocket science here...
ReplyDeleteAcme really is starting to remind me of A&P...
DeleteTHATS not the case in Dover. The company has renovated this store at least twuce in the last 15 years. Dover has changed, gun crime is at an all time high, the income level of cuty residents has decreased, the poverty level is higher then the city of Wilmington. They outlasted, Metro, Farm Fresh,IGA,SHOPPERS WORLD, and Thriftway. The only competition is Safeway, which they own. REDNERS which is in Cheswold does less then the Acme. The Walmart also in Cheswold does a big busines. Simply put the Eastern Shore of Naryland no longer shops in Dover, tbey have moved on ti Middletown and Camden Delaware. This town just dosent have the money to support an Acme. Heck Diver Downs had to reduce seating since attendance is way down and the Casino has sought rekief from the state to stay open.
DeleteNot a huge surprise about Lansdale..not the wealthiest area and there is a ton of competition surrounding it, and in neighboring towns (Weis, Wegmans, Aldi, BJ's, a Super Walmart, a Newer Shoprite, a few Giant locations, etc.)
ReplyDeleteLived across the street from the King of Prussia ACME for many years and was a regular shopper here until November of 2016. Here are a few things I think contributed to this closing:
ReplyDelete- A major store reset occurred in the first half of 2007. It dragged on forever, and became impossible to find anything. Once the reset was finally finished, the damage was done. A good 1/3 of the customers never returned.
- Around 2012-ish, the half aisles were eliminated, converting the store to full aisles only. I noticed a drop in foot traffic.
- Around this same time, the store stopped being open 24 hours. Meanwhile, Walmart, Wegmans, and Giant in KOP were all open 24 hours during this time period, making it easier for late night shoppers to go somewhere else.
- November 2016, self checkouts were eliminated. I stopped shopping at this location at this time, and have not returned since.
FUNNY, Yourcomments made me think back.If you lived across route 202 frim the store, did you know that that building housed the last A@P Philadelphia division office, prior to Super Fresh setting up shop in the perishable warehouse in South Jersey. Their headquarter store was on the sight of the soon to close Acme.
DeleteThe A&P store was actually about a half-mile north, in the Valley Forge Center. It was later a Thrift-Way. The building is now a Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
DeleteThe soon-to-close ACME in DeKalb Plaza was built from scratch, and opened in 1993. Previously, single-family homes (with huge yards) stood in the spot. The construction of the entire DeKalb Plaza itself was locally very controversial at the time due to zoning issues. As far back as the late '70s, developers were trying to build retail there (including K-Mart, which was interested in the spot that eventually became the Pine Crest townhomes).
Was at King Of Prussia a few weeks ago, and needless to say the only thing shocking about this closing is that it didn't happen sooner....
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking news... Lansdale is the third Acme near me to go bust! Now Doylestown is the only option.
ReplyDeleteEven before Wegmans opened in KOP, the ACME was doing a brisk business. Once Wegman’s opened, the writing was on the wall. But in all reality, the Wegman’s is pretty much on the other side of KOP over near one of the worst Wal Mart’s in the world. The main competition for the KOP Acme was a small Giant that really isn’t all that great. I think there is a crummy Aldi’s nearby as well. So there sits the Acme on prime ground in one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and they continue to let the store go to hell. One crap reset was all the store received. Over the past year I found food that was expired up to 4 years still sitting on the shelves. Hopefully the manager of that store isn’t allowed to infect any of the better performing stores, because KOP is horrific. It really gets me angry because I really used to love shopping at that store.
ReplyDeleteHi Sean. There is no Aldi nearby. The current competition is a Giant that closes a Midnight (former Genuardi's, and a horrible Giant in my opinion); A Target P'fresh a block north (the largest non-Super Target on the east coast); the world's worst Walmart about 2 miles south; and the largest Wegmans in Pennselvania across the street from the Walmart.
DeleteAcme has, by far, the best LOCATION in King of Prussia, the most centrally located, and the longest history with the residents. They still managed to run this store into the ground.
As for the Manager, there have been a half dozen (or more) store managers of this location in the last 6-7 years.
ALDI is 2.5 miles from KOP in Norrisville...
Deletehttps://aldi.us/stores/en-us/Search?SingleSlotGeo=King%20of%20Prussia%2C%20PA%2C%20USA&LocX=-75.38355250000001&LocY=40.10128559999999&Mode=None
That ALDI has no impact on the KOP market. It's on the other side of the river (it's not in or near Norristown) and with the heavy congestion in the area may take over an hour to get to at certain times of the day. The 2.5 miles may seem close- if you're a bird. There is actually second Giant and a second Wal-Mart one would pass on the way to that ALDI. That store draws more from Betzwood, Trooper, and Audubon with perhaps some traffic from western Norristown.
DeleteI totally agree with Abercrombie Mike. This ACME was the tops for many years. I was there the day the store opened to great fanfare in 1993, and it was a big deal in town. Many locals were upset about losing the legacy ACME in the Plaza (#1761), but soon got over it because this store was so wonderful. Hopefully someone will be able to do something with that footprint. Mike's right in that it is, without question, the most visible of all the stores in KOP and the easiest of which to get in and out. Such a shame ACME, headquartered just 15 minutes away, wasn't able to or willing to maintain this store's relevance.
DeleteFor the way Acme has been managed, it’s amazing they still exist. One would think they purposely try to piss off their customers with some of the moves they have made over the years. However, the $10 off $100 coupon in this weeks ad is a pretty decent deal.
ReplyDeleteWent into King of Prussia earlier today for one last visit. Store is about 60% empty now. Kinda strange they still had fresh fish, fresh fried chicken, and fresh baked goods. End caps are mostly torn down already. Very sad sight.
ReplyDelete