The Andersons closing all remaining stores

[Super S]

http://www.13abc.com/content/news/The-A ... 85095.html

I thought these stores were doing better....they always seemed to be busy. The Andersons as a company was very diverse though and their retail operations were only a small part of it.

It's too bad another small retailer is disappearing though.

[pseudo3d]

I remember they had a store in Woodville Mall, one of the more "interesting" non-traditional anchors out there. Never quite understood their merchandise mix, it seemed to be a hardware store/Tractor Supply Co. type store/supermarket, at "superstore" square footage (180k square feet). I wonder what they'll do with all that square footage. ...sell it to Meijer?

[BillyGr]

I remember they had a store in Woodville Mall, one of the more "interesting" non-traditional anchors out there. Never quite understood their merchandise mix, it seemed to be a hardware store/Tractor Supply Co. type store/supermarket, at "superstore" square footage (180k square feet). I wonder what they'll do with all that square footage. ...sell it to Meijer?

Seems like one option, particularly since Meijer was already heading in that direction (Ohio, that is) with new stores...

[Super S]

The stores weren't without their issues. A few years back they shook up part of their merchandise mix and started carrying more in the way of softlines type home goods. This was not popular with their customers. The Woodville Mall store closing a few years back had more to do with the neglected condition of the mall. They also experimented with a grocery only store which also closed after about 10 years. It seemed like The Andersons was a lot like the older Fred Meyer stores which carried full home improvement supplies, but with more of a small town atmosphere. It's hard to describe but they were interesting stores which stood out.

[buckguy]

The Andersons started out as a complement to their agribusiness which i believe originated as a grain elevator or something similar. I remember the original in Maumee as a place that had cattle prods and coffee cakes back when i was in college. Most likely it was like a tractor supply/feed and seed operation in the beginning, and then branched out into nursery items, work clothing, and some limited food lines.

The store in Sylvania was the super market and that closed a few months ago.

They had a few solid niches in softlines--like being one of the few full-line Carharrt retailers--better selection than even Carharrt's own stores. Last time I visited, the food offerings seemed like a mixed bag as though they couldn't decide whether to be more like a country store or a more direct competitor to grocery chains. Meijer has been in the Toledo area for a good 20+ years and has existing stores near all of The Andersons' locations.

[Super S]

The Andersons started out as a complement to their agribusiness which i believe originated as a grain elevator or something similar. I remember the original in Maumee as a place that had cattle prods and coffee cakes back when i was in college. Most likely it was like a tractor supply/feed and seed operation in the beginning, and then branched out into nursery items, work clothing, and some limited food lines.

The store in Sylvania was the super market and that closed a few months ago.

They had a few solid niches in softlines--like being one of the few full-line Carharrt retailers--better selection than even Carharrt's own stores. Last time I visited, the food offerings seemed like a mixed bag as though they couldn't decide whether to be more like a country store or a more direct competitor to grocery chains. Meijer has been in the Toledo area for a good 20+ years and has existing stores near all of The Andersons' locations.

They did have several solid niches. Their grocery selection was highly regarded and they were known for carrying locally sourced items such as produce, and had a very good beer and wine section, and had decent hardware and tool departments as well as automotive.

But they eliminated a couple departments, notably sporting goods and toys, in favor of an expanded soft home goods department. While they claimed to be evolving to a changing customer base, it eliminated two departments that, over the years, made them the stores that they were. Some people were probably alienated by this and wondered what else they were going to eliminate. This was probably one of their bigger missteps in recent years.