I think your opinion of HEB is overrated. They have proven that they cannot operate outside of Texas. Even Publix has made major inroads (albeit not as successful) outside of Florida.pseudo3d wrote:It's important to note that United DID get SuperValu brands soon after they were acquired, replacing Topco brands. Secondly, I wouldn't put much stock in CR ratings, it puts Raley's, Stater Bros., and DeMoulas Market Basket on the top 10 (beaten only by Publix, Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Wegmans, and...Costco), and H-E-B didn't even come in the top 10. Whole Foods was beaten by Aldi (Harris Teeter came in 17th). Hannaford, Food City (an obscure chain in Tennessee), ShopRite, and Lowe's Foods of NC beat Kroger (though Fry's came in 16th). Ahold's Giant came in between Winn-Dixie and Randalls
(link). Is Stater Bros. or Raley's really Wegmans/Publix/H-E-B tier material? I don't think so.
I wouldn't call Food City an obscure chain in Tennessee. K-Va-T is a pretty large regional chain (125 stores), having expanded largely through others' misfortunes in the Eastern Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky and western Virginia areas. When you go to that area, which includes Chattanooga and Knoxville, they have a pretty good hold, and have edged Kroger out of all but Knoxville.
Stores change house brands all the time, as it benefits them. Albertsons, as you may remember, had its own house brand before the split. I found that Supervalu didn't offer as much variety as the Albertsons brands did. Safeway, however, had very strong house brands, which is why they're bringing them over.
Also, ratings don't mean much to me. You typically get one of two folks rating stores: those who won't go elsewhere, and the most disgruntled shoppers. Very few median customers do those surveys, but the least happy do frequently.
Having said all that, if Albertsons doesn't move from being a Promotional retailer, they may be signing their own death warrant. Not everybody wants to go just for the sale.