Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

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Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by storewanderer »

I guess this one slipped last year given all that was going on (or my memory is gone). This was the last Lucky in SoCal.
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by pseudo3d »

Originally, SuperValu had, what, 8 of the Lucky stores in the Southern California division at its peak? I wonder if Albertsons started doing the conversions of Super Saver and other stores in Utah because they wanted to hold onto it while knowing that the SoCal stores were going nowhere.

I wonder if Albertsons' long game is to buy back the Lucky branding from Save Mart as Save Mart's financial state worsens.
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by HCal »

Albertsons still owns the Lucky brand in southern California, and they don't seem to want to use it.

I suppose they may eventually be interested in re-entering Norcal, but I don't really see them buying Lucky outright.

What makes you believe Save Mart's financial state is worsening?
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by pseudo3d »

HCal wrote: February 12th, 2021, 6:53 pm What makes you believe Save Mart's financial state is worsening?
I don't know, leasing out a big chunk of their stores, their distribution centers, and headquarters for $700M that they now have to pay rent for is a pretty big sign, along with other closures and sales recently.

I don't think Albertsons would buy out Lucky/Save Mart outright, as there are anti-trust issues, just buying out the rights to the name.
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by storewanderer »

pseudo3d wrote: February 12th, 2021, 11:30 pm
HCal wrote: February 12th, 2021, 6:53 pm What makes you believe Save Mart's financial state is worsening?
I don't know, leasing out a big chunk of their stores, their distribution centers, and headquarters for $700M that they now have to pay rent for is a pretty big sign, along with other closures and sales recently.

I don't think Albertsons would buy out Lucky/Save Mart outright, as there are anti-trust issues, just buying out the rights to the name.
I don't see Albertsons buying Save Mart and/or its Lucky Stores. There is just too much overlap between Lucky and Safeway (almost every Lucky is very close to a Safeway). There would not be much overlap in Fresno, Modesto, or Stockton but Safeway NorCal is present with a low store count in all 3 of those markets with probably just enough overlap to cause problems...

I also think Save Mart is committed to using the Lucky name. I really dislike that logo for "Lucky California" - really would prefer they use the classic Lucky logo. Once Save Mart rebrands all of its stores to "Lucky California" - are they still licensing the name from Albertsons or with the name "Lucky California" is that now Save Mart's own name?
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by luckysaver »

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 lawsuit (according to Wikipedia). I once visited the store at Tanforan near SF Airport and at that time SaveMart kept the 1997 Lucky decor package - they even had a deal with AAA to open branch offices in several Lucky stores.

The last 3 Lucky stores under Albertsons in SoCal were:
- El Centro (permanently CLOSED, still vacant as of today, originally Lucky -> Albertsons -> Lucky)
- Alhambra (Thriftimart -> Lucky -> Chinese market called Cali-Mart)
- South Gate (now Northgate Gonzalez, originally Lucky -> Albertsons-Savon -> Lucky Savon)

I've only been to the Alhambra and South Gate stores and both locations were very different at the time even though they were part of Albertsons. The weekly ads (Lucky Means Low Prices) were very different from the Albertsons weeklies (this was before the merger with Safeway) - these 3 Lucky stores were more hispanic oriented with Wednesday produce sales, Spanish translation, and prices that were just a bit lower than Albertsons, perhaps more aligned with the remaining warehouse format stores they had at the time (Max Foods Grocery Warehouse in Colorado and Monte Mart in NorCal). They even resurrected Lucky's Max Pak program (twin pack breads and larger meat cuts). However, the Fullerton headquarters of the SoCal Region had no plans to convert any more Albertsons stores to Lucky or to even expand the resurrected format. Its like Vons (before the merger) operating 2 unique outlet stores - Extreme Value Center in La Verne (currently Vons with a fuel center) and Pak-n-Save in Chino (currently Superior Grocers but the Vons Printing Services office is on the side of the building).

The Alhambra store was a simple warehouse format and had no service deli/bakery and only existed during the Supervalu ownership. Wednesday was their busiest day as they had great prices on produce with a Wednesday only specials.

The South Gate store was functioning more of an Albertsons disguised as a Lucky and the only store to retain Lucky's original 1997 decor package with a Savon Pharmacy (one of the Utah stores also has a Savon Pharmacy). I met a young bakery clerk that day and she told me transferred from Albertsons in Walnut (now 24HourFitness). Some of the paper/plastic takeout bags at the checkstands were Albertsons branded. At one point, I found a Seessels price sign on a produce display. Employees wore a variety of uniforms - some had Albertsons apparel, others had newer Lucky apparel with Albertsons-Savon name tags, etc.

The current Utah stores were rebranded from SuperSaver (aka SuperSaver by Albertsons) and is the last vestige of the former Extreme Inc division. It's currently part of the Intermountain Region that includes Albertsons/Albertsons-Savon/Albertsons Market Street, Paul's, and Safeway.

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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by storewanderer »

El Centro was originally a Grocery Warehouse or Max Foods. It was never a conventional store.

South Gate appears to have been an Alpha Beta originally (based on the floor); not sure how that happened that way.

Alhambra was prior to rebranding to Lucky either Grocery Warehouse or Max Foods. I also think it may have been a conventional Albertsons at some point. Cali Mart did an amazing job keeping most of the old refrigeration and flooring (such a beat up store) yet removing much of any sign of Albertsons/Lucky from the facility.
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by luckysaver »

That reminds me....I read somewhere long time ago

- El Centro was likely a short-lived Max Foods Grocery Warehouse, probably similar to Montebello before it was rebranded as Albertsons. Not sure if it was a big store - Max Foods/Grocery Warehouse/Monte Mart/SuperSaver didn't have any pharmacy departments.
I've never been to Imperial County. Loopnet lists it as built in 2007 and shows the exterior as a conventional Lucky before it closed https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/351-Wak ... /16711407/
- Alhambra was Max Foods (without the Grocery Warehouse name, passed by it often when it was Max). CaliMart is beat up indeed - they only took away all references to Lucky/Max. Unfortunately they are known to be stingy on plastic produce bags (they charge 10 cents+ a piece). I've been in it four times - once as a Max Foods, twice as Lucky, once as CaliMart. I remember during the Max Foods days they had a version of the Albertsons Big Book ad that was the size of a large tabloid newspaper! https://www.businessyab.com/explore/uni ... -8819.html
- As for South Gate, the state's liquor license online database listed is a Lucky from the 1980s. I've only been to that store most recently as a Lucky-Savon
https://foursquare.com/v/lucky/4c7972842dc19521d934a677
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

storewanderer wrote: January 24th, 2022, 11:26 pm El Centro was originally a Grocery Warehouse or Max Foods. It was never a conventional store.

South Gate appears to have been an Alpha Beta originally (based on the floor); not sure how that happened that way.

Alhambra was prior to rebranding to Lucky either Grocery Warehouse or Max Foods. I also think it may have been a conventional Albertsons at some point. Cali Mart did an amazing job keeping most of the old refrigeration and flooring (such a beat up store) yet removing much of any sign of Albertsons/Lucky from the facility.
Alhambra may have been a Fazio's before Albertsons.
Albertsons also did have a conventional store in El Centro. It closed about 15 years ago. That one is now a Cardenas.

SVU Lucky also had a store in San Ysidro. Went through no fewer than six names: Big Bear -> Max Foods -> Super Saver -> Lucky -> Haggen -> Smart & Final. I can't believe Haggen was foolish enough to buy this one. It was properly merchandised for the area (had Walmart level pricing).
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Re: Lucky South Gate, CA - Closed 2/2020

Post by CalItalian »

luckysaver wrote: January 25th, 2022, 1:11 am That reminds me....I read somewhere long time ago

- El Centro was likely a short-lived Max Foods Grocery Warehouse, probably similar to Montebello before it was rebranded as Albertsons. Not sure if it was a big store - Max Foods/Grocery Warehouse/Monte Mart/SuperSaver didn't have any pharmacy departments.
I've never been to Imperial County. Loopnet lists it as built in 2007 and shows the exterior as a conventional Lucky before it closed https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/351-Wak ... /16711407/
- Alhambra was Max Foods (without the Grocery Warehouse name, passed by it often when it was Max). CaliMart is beat up indeed - they only took away all references to Lucky/Max. Unfortunately they are known to be stingy on plastic produce bags (they charge 10 cents+ a piece). I've been in it four times - once as a Max Foods, twice as Lucky, once as CaliMart. I remember during the Max Foods days they had a version of the Albertsons Big Book ad that was the size of a large tabloid newspaper! https://www.businessyab.com/explore/uni ... -8819.html
- As for South Gate, the state's liquor license online database listed is a Lucky from the 1980s. I've only been to that store most recently as a Lucky-Savon
https://foursquare.com/v/lucky/4c7972842dc19521d934a677
Montebello was a Grocery Warehouse for a long time after being a Zody's before becoming Max Foods & then Albertsons. It only became an Albertsons after the Lucky across the street was closed and eventually leased to Smart & Final.
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