The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

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The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by architect »

Earlier this evening, I was able to stop by the last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh location in Dallas at Arapaho/Hillcrest. Although no store closing sale was going yet, all signs were pointing to an imminent closure.

1. Earlier this month, the store's pharmacy was closed and records were sold to the Tom Thumb at Preston/Belt Line. Signs on both the exterior and interior of the store heavily promoted this transfer, with the Tom Thumb logo prominently displayed on signage.
2. Many areas of the store had certain merchandise on deep markdown, such as 50% off all kosher goods and 50% off all cookware. Additionally, substantial portions of many aisles were left completely empty, such as a portion of the cereal aisle and the entire dollar section which was inherited from Albertsons.
3. Throughout the store, certain products were marked on the shelf with neon yellow sticky notes with "DNS" written on them. I am assuming this translates to do not sell. These were mostly on high-end, organic and local products, so maybe their distribution agreement prohibits these products from being sold at a deep discount in the case of a store closing sale? An example of these sticky notes can be seen in the shelving photo below.
4. Both the bakery and deli had very little selection, with the bakery outrageously featuring a pastry case filled with prepackaged convenience store quality pastries.
5. Last year, a couple of health/beauty aisles adjacent to the pharmacy were walled off and used for fixture storage (the same thing took place at the Mockingbird/Abrams location). Since these aisles featured a lower ceiling then the rest of the store, the removal of this space didn't particularly stick out from the sales floor, but can be seen through a pair of doors by the pharmacy. This space is becoming increasingly cluttered, and it appears that the store is in the process of organizing assets for liquidation (photo below).

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Last edited by architect on July 29th, 2017, 9:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by storewanderer »

For some reason, I thought these had all closed as it was...

I see on their website they still have an ad running too.

So who is running this? Is it still the old Minyard, or is this being run by someone else now? Talk about zombie stores!
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by architect »

storewanderer wrote:For some reason, I thought these had all closed as it was...

I see on their website they still have an ad running too.

So who is running this? Is it still the old Minyard, or is this being run by someone else now? Talk about zombie stores!
Technically, all of the Minyard and Sun Fresh locations were being run by RLS Supermarkets in Carrolton. However, as all other stores under both banners had been sold to either Fiesta or HEB, RLS was likely operating this store strictly for the purposes of clearing out remaining product and fulfilling the terms of the Sun Fresh marketing agreement if applicable. With the recent announcement of AWG's Fort Worth distribution closure, this store is likely being prepared to close due to a loss of local distribution. Honestly, I am surprised that it has lasted this long with far stronger competition nearby.
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by storewanderer »

I wonder why RLS kept this store. I am assuming it was not a great performer...
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

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storewanderer wrote:I wonder why RLS kept this store. I am assuming it was not a great performer...
The only reasons I can think of are either that RLS needed to let a contract run out for the Sun Fresh branding, or this store was being used to closeout merchandise from the AWG warehouse. Either way, I agree that it does not make sense that it has been open this long.
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by storewanderer »

RLS still operates some other stores though don't they? Some Cost+10% AWG Stores?

Was this their last operating pharmacy?
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by pseudo3d »

storewanderer wrote:RLS still operates some other stores though don't they? Some Cost+10% AWG Stores?

Was this their last operating pharmacy?
They operate two more Cash Saver stores besides the Sun Fresh. I'm guessing those stores are also on their way out.
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by architect »

I can officially confirm that this store is closing. No flashy store closing sale, but there is a small sign along Arapaho advertising 50% off of all wines. In addition, some other general merchandise categories are 50% off (but most center-store grocery is still full price).
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Re: The end of a (short) era, last remaining Minyard Sun Fresh winding down operations

Post by pseudo3d »

What about the two Cost Saver stores that were converted from Minyard prior to the chain being sold to Fiesta?
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