New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by VibeGuy »

My spidey senses are tingling about another possible location.

The Trails at Silverdale is a new lifestyle center opening over the next year. They promised a "new to Kitsap (County) grocer" which has remained unnamed to date. Other tenants include HomeGoods, Chipotle, Total Wine, Ulta, Corner Bakery Cafe, etc.

The list that fills that blank is pretty short; the options are Metropolitan Market, 365/WFM (WFM has already been denied by the developers), Harbor Greens (store is pretty big for them), PCC, New Seasons (they're doing Mercer Island) or Vine and Main. QFC closed an underperforming Bremerton location in a dying center, but still has their Port Orchard straggler. While Poulsbo has the exceptionally good Central Market by Town & Country, everything south of there is a grocery wasteland save for Winco.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by marshd1000 »

One thing that is interesting about this new concept is that it is in Gig Harbor across from the failed Haggen. Main & Vine is going for the Haggen demographic. I am sure Kroger will have no problem having it be a success! I know the incomes are decent in Gig Harbor so why didn't Haggen make it there? Could they had made it there if they had closed the store for a period and did more extensive remodeling and a big PR campaign about what Haggen was about? Speaking of which, maybe Kroger should buy the Haggen core stores? Maybe some could be QFC, some Main and Vine and some Fred Meyer Marketplace?
Last edited by marshd1000 on December 25th, 2015, 1:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by storewanderer »

Natural Grocers Vitamin Cottage is another "new to market grocer" going into that type of center.

Their format is a real sleeper. NO fresh in store prep of anything. Overrefrigerated organic produce. Prepack meat and not much of it. Their bread for sale is thaw and sell not even brought in fresh. Bulk foods is all vacuum packed. The Reno location does NO volume; I'd be shocked if it does $60,000 a week in sales. The one I went into in Saint George, Utah doesn't look like it does much better.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by VibeGuy »

marshd1000 wrote:One thing that is interesting about this new concept is that it is in Gig Harbor across from the failed Haggen. Main and a inch is going for the Haggen demographic. I am sure Kroger will have no problem having it be a success! I know the incomes are decent in Gig Harbor so why didn't Haggen make it there? Could they had made it there if they had closed the store for a period and did more extensive remodeling and a big PR campaign about what Haggen was about? Speaking of which, maybe Kroger should buy the Haggen core stores? Maybe some could be QFC, some Main and Vine and some Fred Meyer Marketplace?
1) The store was doing solid volume as QFC, especially in perimeter departments. The demo is really solid.

2) That Safeway was/is HUGE, and Haggen clearly had merchandising challenges. Their center store pricing was a trainwreck. Liquor and wine were also substantially higher.

The problem definitely wasn't service - many familiar faces, nor was the store - new construction and still gorgeous throughout. I think Haggen should have made a bigger "splash" with the openings - tasting/sampling events in deli, brought in the local vendors in center store to do demos, really show what set them apart (meat quality, deli / prepared).

3) I think shoppers were pissed that the new owners took away a really nice Safeway (and fuel "savings") more than anything else. Uptown Gig Harbor got a real boost with the redevelopment of that center.

As for Kroger taking core stores; I'm not sure FTC would be onboard in most of those markets. I could certainly see a Marketplace or QFC or Main and Vine in many of them, but with a few exceptions (Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, etc) Kroger has a decent footprint already.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by marshd1000 »

Yep, the Gig Harbor former Haggen was huge. But there are a few legacy Haggens that are huge too! So that should not had been a problem for Haggen. But getting back to Main & Vine, I could a North Seattle store and a Eastside store getting converted from QFC to Main & Vine.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by VibeGuy »

marshd1000 wrote:Yep, the Gig Harbor former Haggen was huge. But there are a few legacy Haggens that are huge too! So that should not had been a problem for Haggen. But getting back to Main & Vine, I could a North Seattle store and a Eastside store getting converted from QFC to Main & Vine.
Dravus Street is smallish and has a great adjacent demographic. Frankly, I'd have to wonder about Holman Road.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by VibeGuy »

A little birdie told me that there will be an invite-only pre-opening event in very early February. Some center store is already stocked. Merchandise mix is definitely not copying HEB Central Market or WFM - Coke and Tide are both available. Painters and various trades are still pretty active onsite.

Driving by, it looks the the former office/employee break space on the second floor has been turned into seating and the "odd" entry/cart corral has been adjusted.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by pseudo3d »

VibeGuy wrote:A little birdie told me that there will be an invite-only pre-opening event in very early February. Some center store is already stocked. Merchandise mix is definitely not copying HEB Central Market or WFM - Coke and Tide are both available. Painters and various trades are still pretty active onsite.

Driving by, it looks the the former office/employee break space on the second floor has been turned into seating and the "odd" entry/cart corral has been adjusted.
Maybe it's more like Wegmans or Market Street, where it still has key elements of the gourmet/upscale store but still has all the regular items you'd buy. I've been to WFM and Central Market, with the former rather pretentious and with an assortment I don't care for (but otherwise a well-laid out, full featured grocery store), and the latter a less-pretentious store (not quite as limited) but with a haphazardous floorplan.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by SamSpade »

marshd1000 wrote: But getting back to Main & Vine, I could a North Seattle store and a Eastside store getting converted from QFC to Main & Vine.
Or, maybe on Capitol Hill where QFC has 3 stores? Although, all are well-maintained and certainly doing OK I think. The 15th Ave store was so crowded and small, but Kroger remodeled it betweem 2005-2007 to Fresh Fare and cut off the 24-hour operations and it's a pleasant enough small-format store.
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Re: New Format QFC To Open In Gig Harbor

Post by marshd1000 »

SamSpade wrote:
marshd1000 wrote: But getting back to Main & Vine, I could a North Seattle store and a Eastside store getting converted from QFC to Main & Vine.
Or, maybe on Capitol Hill where QFC has 3 stores? Although, all are well-maintained and certainly doing OK I think. The 15th Ave store was so crowded and small, but Kroger remodeled it betweem 2005-2007 to Fresh Fare and cut off the 24-hour operations and it's a pleasant enough small-format store.
You're right about that! I could very much see Main and Vine working at that location!
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