Retail Watchers

Buena Park-based Chinese grocer Tawa Supermarket (dba 99 Ranch Market, Cravings by 99 Ranch Market and 168 Market) this month issued their annual traditional Chinese wall calendar and on the store location list on the last page announced new locations for their Southern California division: - LA Cit...

SaveMart has a long term license to the Lucky name/logo from Albertsons as they bought most of the Central Valley/NorCal locations in 1999 (see the document from the FTC on the American Stores divestiture). Nugget Markets was sued by Albertsons for trying to resurrect the Lucky name but lost that la...

S&F CEO Dave Hirz is the main reason why S&F is now much more consumer oriented through the "Extra" format and even the brief experimentation of the SmartCo Foods format. Mr Hirz for much of his grocery career was the VP of Ralphs doubling as the President of Food4Less/FoodsCo prio...

Bodega Latina dba El Super is now replacing Town Talk hot dog/burger buns (not their own product) with First Street buns. The first ever integration of Smart & Final products at El Super began in early December 2021 just before the start of the college football bowl games. I expect Smart & F...

FoodMaxx on Union Ave north of the 58 Freeway (now Superior Grocers) was my first time visiting a SaveMart/FoodMaxx store when I was in Bakersfield a few years covering a small event at the Kern County Fairgrounds as a contract EMT. FoodMaxx stores (I've only been to the remaining Bakersfield locati...

Smiths exited SoCal in 1996 when Kroger bought out Fred Meyer. 1996 was when Ralphs took over both Hughes and Smiths as part of the transition from Fred Meyer to Kroger. Most SoCal locations transferred to Ralphs and they were quickly converted to either Ralphs, Food4Less/FoodsCo, sold or subleased....

FoodsCo is part of Kroger's Ralphs Food4Less division. Liquor license has most of the FoodsCo stores registered as Ralphs Grocery Company (Santa Maria/Bakersfield stores) or Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc (a Ralphs phantom subsidiary from the old Yucaipa ownership pre Kroger) for the SF/Oakland/Sacra...

Several stores now sport this new "local" package, with more to come. These are the stores that I've been to myself that have this new decor package. #60 - Colorado Blvd in Glendale #281 - Venice on Lincoln Blvd (ex-Market Basket) #723 - Moorpark (ex Hughes, on Hwy 118 about 2 miles west o...

a few other original SoCal Vons stores that are still there today as Vons - Walnut (1984), San Dimas (1982), West Covina (1977), Charter Oak/Glendora (1977). Of these 4 stores, Walnut is the bigger store. Diamond Bar (now Smart & Final Extra) opened in 1970 and was part of the Haggen purchase. I...

This store is Ralphs #645, one of several 600-series stores that were NOT converted from Alpha Betas. I do agree that the remodeling to FF is from the demographic shift. Much of the westside and the upper South Bay area is a lot more affluent and full of office workers in the many office buildings i...