Minyard Sun Fresh Markert (former Albertsons) photo

[architect]

Update on the Park/Preston Kroger: I drove by earlier tonight; still no signs of an opening date. However, I could see that the walls were being repainted to the typical Kroger decor. In addition, the perimeter lighting has been replaced with standard lay-in fluorescent fixtures mounted in the drop ceiling (doing away with the dark Lifestyle perimeter feel). The overhead aisle signs were still remnants from the old Lifestyle decor, but individual section dividers (the signs which extend directly out from the shelves) were of the typical Kroger variety.

[pseudo3d]

Update on the Park/Preston Kroger: I drove by earlier tonight; still no signs of an opening date. However, I could see that the walls were being repainted to the typical Kroger decor. In addition, the perimeter lighting has been replaced with standard lay-in fluorescent fixtures mounted in the drop ceiling (doing away with the dark Lifestyle perimeter feel). The overhead aisle signs were still remnants from the old Lifestyle decor, but individual section dividers (the signs which extend directly out from the shelves) were of the typical Kroger variety.

I was thinking it was closer to being done. Calling the numbers has the pharmacy answer as "Kroger Pharmacy" but it seems to be mostly dead and is a generic "sorry we're closed, if there's an emergency, call 911" and the normal phone has an automatic "Welcome to Minyard Sun Fresh Market" but no operator, not even someone to say "Well, we're closed, come back and see us on December Xth (or January Xth) when we reopen as Kroger" or something.

[architect]

Update on the Park/Preston Kroger: I drove by earlier tonight; still no signs of an opening date. However, I could see that the walls were being repainted to the typical Kroger decor. In addition, the perimeter lighting has been replaced with standard lay-in fluorescent fixtures mounted in the drop ceiling (doing away with the dark Lifestyle perimeter feel). The overhead aisle signs were still remnants from the old Lifestyle decor, but individual section dividers (the signs which extend directly out from the shelves) were of the typical Kroger variety.

I was thinking it was closer to being done. Calling the numbers has the pharmacy answer as "Kroger Pharmacy" but it seems to be mostly dead and is a generic "sorry we're closed, if there's an emergency, call 911" and the normal phone has an automatic "Welcome to Minyard Sun Fresh Market" but no operator, not even someone to say "Well, we're closed, come back and see us on December Xth (or January Xth) when we reopen as Kroger" or something.

I just called the pharmacy; it was open but no opening date for the store has been set yet.

[architect]

Park/Preston Kroger update: I drove by the store earlier tonight, and no visible progress had been made since my last visit. However, a couple of pharmacy employees were walking out of the store and informed me that the store opening date is January 13th. From what I could see inside, the only remaining Lifestyle decor remnants were the overheard aisle markers (which I'm sure will be swapped out prior to opening) and the typical Safeway center store fluorescent lighting. All perimeter lighting has been replaced, and from what I could see, the ceiling in the produce area has been reconfigured. It did not appear that product stocking had begun yet.

[pseudo3d]

Is the outside signage gone or is there a Kroger logo up?

[architect]

Is the outside signage gone or is there a Kroger logo up?

The Kroger signage is up on both the front facade and the street sign. Oddly enough though, the old Safeway "Pharmacy" sign was kept, which looks completely out of place with the new branding. Also, the signage just spells out "Kroger" in block lettering, rather than using their actual logo (this seems to be fairly common across the Southwest Division stores).

[architect]

Park/Preston Kroger Update: I drove by earlier tonight; it appears that Marketplace decor is being used for the remodel. This is not unprecedented in the DFW region, as the Mockingbird Station Kroger also features Marketplace decor in place of the typical current Kroger decor. Aside from additional painting, very little appeared different since my last visit.

[architect]

Just an FYI: I will be stopping by the Park/Preston Kroger on Wednesday after work to see what the final product looks like. Yes, I'm that nerd.

[architect]

Just an FYI: I will be stopping by the Park/Preston Kroger on Wednesday after work to see what the final product looks like. Yes, I'm that nerd.

Park/Preston Kroger follow up post: I visited the store today, the renovations are very interesting to say the least. Marketplace Decor is used throughout, but the decor has an unusual feel to it due to the drop ceiling and the overall low light levels in the store (a clear remnant of the Safeway Lifestyle decor). In the pharmacy area, the wood paneling used for the Safeway "clinic" areas has been retained by Kroger (I was unable to get a photo of this, unfortunately) and looks a bit out of place among the otherwise bright finishes used in the store. Also, instead of having a separate natural/organic section, the healthy living products were interspaced throughout the rest of the store, with green overhead markers designating these specialty items. The store did seem smaller than a typical new Kroger, but seemed to well trafficked and will likely do good business due to its location alone.

Also, during my visit, I got an interesting piece of info from an employee who was handing out product samples. For many years, Kroger had a store across Park Blvd (in the location where Trader Joe's and several other retailers are now). However, this location closed in the late 2000's, due to reasons not disclosed by Kroger at the time (at the time, Kroger just claimed that the property was unsuitable to serve as a modern grocery store). Fast forward to today: according to the employee I was speaking with, the roof at this original location was on the verge of failure and needed complete replacement. However, the cost was not justifiable due to the age and condition of the store. Therefore, Kroger closed this original location, but has wanted to reopen in the area ever since. I always thought that it was odd that Kroger closed a store in such a high traffic area, so it was interesting to hear the reasoning behind it.

Photos (pardon the poor quality, I was trying to avoid being seen):

[klkla]

Interesting. You can see a lot of the Lifestyle design elements still. Most of the refrigeration and all the flooring looks exactly the same. I'm surprised they kept that flooring in produce, though. The color of Safeway's faux wood floors is very distinct and doesn't look quite right with the color of Kroger's orchard bins.

The lighting looks a lot brighter but not in a tacky way like a lot of the Lifestyle stores Albertson's has recently modified.