wnetmacman wrote:
Kroger operates in Jackson, Tupelo, Vicksburg and along the US-78 corridor from Memphis east, as well as other stores throughout the state. They do not operate south of I-20.
If Kroger's Delta Division is operating approximately 106 stores, it should increase store count. The Harris Teeter division is a good case study how to increase store count.
wnetmacman wrote:
I'm kind of torn. If Harvey's is doing as well as they say it is, it may be a good idea to invigorate the store base this far west. I don't see it as a long term solution for these stores.
Southeastern Grocers can say BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harvey's Supermarket, and Winn-Dixie are doing well. Closing stores and closing pharmacies in underachieving stores tell a different story.
“If you’re operating across multiple markets, ‘one-size-fits-all’ is like a one size fits none,” McLeod told SN during a tour of the renovating store Tuesday. “What I believe we have to do, given that we have stores across multiple markets and multiple demographics, is be considerate about how we serve each of those individual communities. While you can’t have 750 different banners, you can have more than one.”
Fresco Y Mas is the Hispanic-focused entrant in a multi-format strategy espoused by McLeod, that combines elements of others also introduced by Southeastern this year: Namely the focus on prepared foods and unique assortments at the upmarket conversions of Winn-Dixies in affluent Jacksonville and Tampa communities; and the value (and energetic bright yellow indoor color scheme) of the Harveys stores primarily serving African American shoppers in the deep South.
Knight wrote:Harvey's Supermarkets serves African Americans in the deep south? That is a bad stereotype. Americans of African descent shop at other grocery stores.
Yeah, I thought that it seemed mildly racist to divide the stores against racial lines (what, is Winn-Dixie "whites only" now?) but even if that's true, then at least a few W-D stores in Mississippi would flip. My guess is that the new Harveys and Fresco y Mas that got reflagged are last gasp attempts to turn around the stores and they won't stick around.