Smart & Final's former Haggen stores

[klkla]

I'm not sure if this is the first former Haggen to open under the Smart & Final name but it's the first one I have noticed:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/new ... do-review/

I noticed from the photo that they kept Haggen's infamous wood floors in the checkstand area (as did Gelson's in the first three stores they have opened).

From the article:

"For some Coronado consumers, the news that their Haggen was becoming a Smart & Final was not a welcome development. On the other side of the bridge, the Haggen locations in upscale communities like Carlsbad, Del Mar and Pacific Beach were becoming Gelson’s markets, complete with prime-rib carving stations, on-site florists and Peet’s coffee stands.

Well, Smart & Final feels your shopping-envy pain, Coronado. So it will soon be stocking your store with fresh restaurant-quality sushi, which will be made on site daily. No other Smart & Final Extra has that. It is also one of just two stores selling cut-up fresh fruit and a grab-and-go selection of sandwiches, salads and snacks.

It is also sports a larger selection of USDA Choice premium beef offerings. It is one of the few Smart & Final Extras to carry lamb and the only one selling beach towels.

“We had people saying they were not looking forward to us being here,” Marks said. “But people are surprised by the quality of what we have. It’s a close-knit community where people know each other pretty well, and it’s great that through word of mouth, we have been able to spread the message about what we’re about.”

[CalItalian]

Additional photos of Coronado location http://ecoronado.com/news/2016/02/17/co ... n-cutting/

They have not started working on the Torrance location at all. Even the old Haggen signs are still up.

[storewanderer]

Trying to have more departments means more labor. More labor throws their model a bit out of whack unless they can add enough sales to cover for it. Not to mention the higher cost build out to build stores that have fresh departments. With these stores that already had the equipment in place to have fresh departments I guess that helped a little bit. We will see how this goes. I have not been impressed AT ALL with Smart & Final Extra in Reno (one of the first "Extra" Stores). Sleazy store with poor service, poor produce, and a trash filled parking lot. The prices aren't great either. Sort of reminds me of a place that feels cheap and looks cheap but if you look at the prices and know your prices... not so cheap. They did put a ratty Sak N Save (Scolaris discount format) down the street out of business and take a chunk of business from a previously high volume Save Mart so they must do something right, I guess. The other nearby competitor, Marketon, a 18,000 or so square foot hispanic format, seems to have gone untouched by this.

[pseudo3d]

One of the news sites had an image of a store directory, which looks a bit more square than Safeway/Albertsons stores usually are. Did they not use all the space?

[klkla]

One of the news sites had an image of a store directory, which looks a bit more square than Safeway/Albertsons stores usually are. Did they not use all the space?

Yes, this was a problem with some of the landlords that wanted a large full service supermarket in their shopping center. Smart & Final is subdividing all the larger stores and subleasing the extra space to non-food retailers.

[rvt]

Additional photos of Coronado location http://ecoronado.com/news/2016/02/17/co ... n-cutting/

They have not started working on the Torrance location at all. Even the old Haggen signs are still up.

Same at Trabuco Canyon. An occasional refrigeration truck or other worker. But still Haggen through and through.. including the lighted sign at night.

[submariner]

Additional photos of Coronado location http://ecoronado.com/news/2016/02/17/co ... n-cutting/

Funny, that store is on it's fifth operating name (Alpha Beta, Lucky, Albertsons, Haggen, Smart & Final), and STILL has the original Alpha Beta crown moulding around the perimeter.

[klkla]

Funny, that store is on it's fifth operating name (Alpha Beta, Lucky, Albertsons, Haggen, Smart & Final), and STILL has the original Alpha Beta crown moulding around the perimeter.

Good catch. That would be from the late 80's Alpha Beta prototype, right? Didn't Alpha Beta have lights within the crown molding though? It's been so long I don't remember.

[storewanderer]

It looks like there may have been lights...

[CalItalian]

Former Haggen, former Albertsons 615 N. Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach opens as a Smart & Final Extra! at 7 am on March 2. It replaces a nearby very small Smart & Final.