Retail Watchers

I think you've got it right...being here in the CV for the last couple months, Stater seems to be hitting on all cylinders, respectful of both employees and customers in programs and operations. I've been shopping at Vons a lot playing with the JFU program; the PS store seems to have great employees...

An interesting analysis of the business, and showing what the lower-end c-store competitive set is in the east/midwest.
https://ir.corporate.murphyusa.com/inve ... fault.aspx

Interesting...I got a marketing research study several weeks ago on c-stores which listed "Murphy" as one of the brands...I'd thought they were a wholly owned WM subsidiary but surprise surprise. They did pre-date WM...Murphy Oil was a mid-continent refiner which used Spur as their brand. ...

We tried the spicy version on Thursday at a location in Rosemead, CA. All I can say is yecch. Very unimpressed. I ordered 6 spicy nuggets and the new spicy chicken sandwich. She misunderstood and rang nuggets and a spicy McChicken. I called it to her attention, she tried to re-ring and just asked me...

There might be an interesting roll-up opportunity between Gelsons, Bristol Farms and Jensen's. They're all nice, but I struggle to articulate any difference between them...maybe Gelson's is a little more "conventional" but they all are tranquil, pleasant environments.

We were seeing QFC ads down here in the Coachella Valley in mid-January--the branding clearly should have been Ralphs, but who knows how the cable ad server got messed up.

Out in the Coachella Valley, where we're spending some time, Westfield Palm Desert is left with Macys/a gym/Barnes and Noble and I'm not sure what else...B&N is at street level while Macy's Furniture and Backstage is downstairs. The mall is sad looking...their record (!) store just left--it was ...

Metro Detroit has traditionally not been an over-malled market...Dayton Hudson was quite disciplined in its' store opening cadence; it's issue is the income disparities and age/size of some of the malls, and there was no other large operator in the market (old Macy/May/ADG/Allied/CHH/BATUS/Mercantil...

I live fairly close to a pretty excellent Target in a solidly middle-class area in first-ring Detroit...their food offerings are amazingly good--I always compliment the food staff there because they do a great job. Other stores in the area should take lessons. Just had a delivery order sent with som...

SpartanNash's retail operations--Family Fare etc-- are primarily outside of Kroger's territory in Michigan and would get them back in to Grand Rapids and the areas where they've retreated from. The wholesale business covers the entire state. It would be interesting to examine it from an antitrust ba...