Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by pseudo3d »

Super S wrote:
storewanderer wrote:Oddly I think there are a couple of cases where Kroger took a former Big Kmart and demolished it and built a Marketplace on the site. I can't think of where.

The footprint of a Kroger Marketplace is unfortunately closer to that of a Big Kmart than that of a Super Kmart. I keep hoping the "Marketplace" is a bridge to opening actually full assortment Fred Meyer locations in the midwest and south someday (I don't really care what name the stores have, more interested in seeing that full general merchandise mix rather than the watered down Marketplace mix) but I don't think it is.
Fred Meyer stores have a variety of different footprints, depending on the time the store was built. Most of the newer locations just have the two front entrances much like the Kroger Marketplace stores. But 123,000 square feet is larger than many so-called "Big" Kmarts, many of which were under 100,000 square feet.

I mention the Super Kmarts because of the fact that they were set up for groceries to begin with and are most likely to become available in the not too distant future. They could very easily accommodate a Fred Meyer type of store.

Fred Meyer has been known to try different things in their store layouts, such as a second story for apparel departments.

Kroger is smart to test the waters with the Marketplace stores, as it puts them in a better position against Walmart and Meijer as other traditional grocery stores continue to struggle.
For what it's worth, I distinctly remember reading that Kroger swore that Marketplace was not supposed to compete with Walmart at all, it was merely a larger Kroger with expanded departments and related non-food departments (like cookware). Their merchandise mix has changed significantly so that they are looking more and more like a Walmart would be, but a lot nicer.
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by arizonaguy »

Kroger's newest Marketplace in Cincinnati is adjacent to a Meijer and a Target.

Image

I guarantee that this isn't an accident and that all 3 stores are going after essentially the same customers.

In addition, 2 of the new Marketplace stores currently under construction in the Phoenix area are very close to SuperTargets. One is across the street and the other is about 1/2 mile away.

I believe the Target (and Meijer) customer is who Kroger is targeting.
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by SamSpade »

Nice screen grab.
I'm surprised that Meijer and Target are in the same parking lot! Isn't Meijer similar to Fred Meyer, but maybe a little more down-market? It would seem like they and Target are the same store, but with a larger grocery section in Meijer?
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by arizonaguy »

SamSpade wrote:Nice screen grab.
I'm surprised that Meijer and Target are in the same parking lot! Isn't Meijer similar to Fred Meyer, but maybe a little more down-market? It would seem like they and Target are the same store, but with a larger grocery section in Meijer?
Meijer is really similar to a Walmart Supercenter with a better grocery selection and a slightly higher quality product offering.

I've seen this arrangement in Auburn Hills, Michigan as well (except that instead of next to one another, the Meijer and Target are on opposite ends of a parking lot).
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by storewanderer »

Meijer strikes me as very down-market compared to Fred Meyer. Their grocery mix is pretty good, general merchandise is hit and miss (similar to Fred Meyer in that regard but for different reasons), and my impression is the overall quality of their general merchandise mix is not so great. Meijer reminds me most of Super Kmart but with far worse general merchandise, better staffing levels, and better priced grocery.
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by BatteryMill »

From what I've seen, the Kroger Marketplace stores do look like an impressive combination of grocery and the extras. Of course there are more chains like Fred Meyer and Meijer as well. I would have to lament about the presence of hypermarkets here, however; Walmart is just about the only store with that sort of presence north of Richmond, VA (sans a few SuperTargets in NoVA). Wegmans has an expansive selection of non-grocery items, and in more recent years, Giant-MD has introduced a "Super Giant" concept which added several themed departments of general merchandise.
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Re: Kroger Marketplace opens in Sandusky, Ohio

Post by pseudo3d »

storewanderer wrote:Meijer strikes me as very down-market compared to Fred Meyer. Their grocery mix is pretty good, general merchandise is hit and miss (similar to Fred Meyer in that regard but for different reasons), and my impression is the overall quality of their general merchandise mix is not so great. Meijer reminds me most of Super Kmart but with far worse general merchandise, better staffing levels, and better priced grocery.
A friend once got me a t-shirt from Meijer with the old Meijer logo on it. It's incredibly thin fabric and probably the cheapest-feeling t-shirt I own. I'm surprised it's taken as many washings as it has. :shock:

I always wondered if this representative of the rest of their apparel offerings.
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