This new Albertsons in Ardmore has now been officially announced. Not sure if the stall was due to economic factors or the pending merger or other issues. This marks the return of the Albertsons brand to Oklahoma after a departure fifteen years ago.
Partial article quote:
Ardmore residents will be able to check off a big-ticket item off their wish list heading into the holiday season.
Albertsons will break ground on a new grocery store at 10 a.m., Thursday in the Market Street Development at 1865 12th Ave. NW. Plans are in place for a 50,000 square foot store that will include a fully stocked center store, bakery, deli, meat and seafood, produce and floral. There will also be an in-store Starbucks coffee kiosk, a pharmacy that includes a drive-thru and a Drive-Up-N-go grocery pick-up. The estimated opening for the store is late 2024.
“A new grocery store was on our list to find for the community,” Ardmore City Manager Kevin Boatright said. “This started five or six years ago when our comprehensive plan was updated. Part of that, there was a retail leakage study that was in there that had a grocery store as one of our highest needs. It was either number one or number two as far as the type of retail Ardmore needed.”
That is already a very undersized store by Kroger standards.
It is basically outdated/undersized from opening day.
If the merger does not happen hopefully they will press on and build a few more stores. Lawton, etc. I wonder if they have a non compete with Homeland and cannot enter for a certain time period.
They had a non compete with Associated Utah and could not have Albertsons in Salt Lake City area for a certain time period but I believe that is expired now (that is why they expanded Lucky). If the merger does not happen maybe they can throw a few new Albertsons into Salt Lake City too.
storewanderer wrote: ↑November 15th, 2023, 12:15 pm
That is already a very undersized store by Kroger standards.
It is basically outdated/undersized from opening day.
If the merger does not happen hopefully they will press on and build a few more stores. Lawton, etc. I wonder if they have a non compete with Homeland and cannot enter for a certain time period.
They had a non compete with Associated Utah and could not have Albertsons in Salt Lake City area for a certain time period but I believe that is expired now (that is why they expanded Lucky). If the merger does not happen maybe they can throw a few new Albertsons into Salt Lake City too.
I also wonder if Albertsons has non-compete agreements with Price Cutter (Southwest Missouri) and SpartanNash (Omaha)? But I’d think Hy-Vee’s strength would stop them from re-entering those areas.
storewanderer wrote: ↑November 15th, 2023, 12:15 pm
That is already a very undersized store by Kroger standards.
It is basically outdated/undersized from opening day.
If the merger does not happen hopefully they will press on and build a few more stores. Lawton, etc. I wonder if they have a non compete with Homeland and cannot enter for a certain time period.
They had a non compete with Associated Utah and could not have Albertsons in Salt Lake City area for a certain time period but I believe that is expired now (that is why they expanded Lucky). If the merger does not happen maybe they can throw a few new Albertsons into Salt Lake City too.
I also wonder if Albertsons has non-compete agreements with Price Cutter (Southwest Missouri) and SpartanNash (Omaha)? But I’d think Hy-Vee’s strength would stop them from re-entering those areas.
Anything with Price Cutter may also extend to Bartlesville, Tulsa, Stilwater, and Ponca City. But Price Cutter closed Tulsa and gave/sold? the others to Homeland.
storewanderer wrote: ↑November 15th, 2023, 12:15 pm
That is already a very undersized store by Kroger standards.
It is basically outdated/undersized from opening day.
If the merger does not happen hopefully they will press on and build a few more stores. Lawton, etc. I wonder if they have a non compete with Homeland and cannot enter for a certain time period.
They had a non compete with Associated Utah and could not have Albertsons in Salt Lake City area for a certain time period but I believe that is expired now (that is why they expanded Lucky). If the merger does not happen maybe they can throw a few new Albertsons into Salt Lake City too.
I've watched various iterations of this new Albertsons morph from the Market Street banner to 'unnamed national grocer' to now Albertsons, and anywhere from 50,000 to 65,000 SF as noted on marketing site plans dating back to 2019. I think it is a lost opportunity not to open as a Market Street since I believe that would have more of a regional draw, but people appear to be excited about Albertsons nonetheless. It does make me wonder if they will start to build along the southern tier of the state in places like Durant and Lawton, but time will tell.
I'll be curious how they integrate the Drive Up and Go door into the overall sales floor. I see they got pharmacy back along the side wall so they could get a drive through in again.
More recent new builds do not have drive through pharmacy as the Drive Up and Go is moved alone the side wall with its separate entry.
I also see they eliminate the entrance near pharmacy which is good because that entrance is used for theft and is too close to high value drug items.
The entryway instead looks like a grocery palace Albertsons.
storewanderer wrote: ↑November 15th, 2023, 12:15 pm
That is already a very undersized store by Kroger standards.
It is basically outdated/undersized from opening day.
If the merger does not happen hopefully they will press on and build a few more stores. Lawton, etc. I wonder if they have a non compete with Homeland and cannot enter for a certain time period.
They had a non compete with Associated Utah and could not have Albertsons in Salt Lake City area for a certain time period but I believe that is expired now (that is why they expanded Lucky). If the merger does not happen maybe they can throw a few new Albertsons into Salt Lake City too.
I've watched various iterations of this new Albertsons morph from the Market Street banner to 'unnamed national grocer' to now Albertsons, and anywhere from 50,000 to 65,000 SF as noted on marketing site plans dating back to 2019. I think it is a lost opportunity not to open as a Market Street since I believe that would have more of a regional draw, but people appear to be excited about Albertsons nonetheless. It does make me wonder if they will start to build along the southern tier of the state in places like Durant and Lawton, but time will tell.
Market Street would be under a different division. Still, if this Albertsons takes notes that might not be a big issue. (Cutting it by 15k square feet still seems a bit disappointing though). I'd like to see more Oklahoma stores but unless they buy their old stores from Homeland (which is an employee-owned chain), WinCo (possibly as the TX-AK-OK operation is moribund), or Crest Foods, they have to focus on Texas first.
I don't see much further expansion potential in OK and especially not using the TX Safeway style operation.
The Winco stores are much too big and Crest are discount stores in the wrong locations.
Homeland will not go anywhere. AWG needs that supply business. Some of those going back to Albertsons would make a lot of sense though but then you're gutting Homeland of its only nice stores......
I need to go see how Winco is doing in OK.
Also will be interesting to see how Reasors does over time with the Brookshire ownership.
The WinCo stores are only 84k square feet, which is big for a typical Albertsons/Safeway but not overly so.
The issue is that the current way that Albertsons is currently being operated is in no way able to take over those stores and not drive them out of business.
