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Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 3:38 am
by CalItalian

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 8:41 am
by storewanderer
With Wal Mart Supercenter next door, Stater across the street, Sprouts practically next door, and Grocery Outlet across the street, I wonder how much business this store actually does.

Also going over there on Google, the Vons has a user score 3.9, Stater has a user score 4.7, and Wal Mart Supercenter has a user score 4.1.

Does Vons charge 3.99 everyday retail for a dozen of large store brand eggs in southern California too or is that terrible price unique to Bishop? Also .99 each for the terrible bakery donuts? The Bishop store is understocked and not very clean and does not justify these prices. Tons of empty spots in the unstaffed produce and bakery areas, understaffed dirty looking deli that didn't even have any fried chicken on a weeknight at 5 PM. I forgot how badly run one of these stores could be but this place reminded me. This type of thing was a common sight under the old Safeway, Inc. but Albertsons has really straightened things out to some degree. Bishop Vons has always had very high prices, but in the past there wasn't much competition. Vons appears to be oblivious to the fact they actually have price format competition in Bishop now (new Family Dollar, new Grocery Outlet, and the long-time Smart & Final Extra).

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 4:31 pm
by klkla
storewanderer wrote: September 21st, 2019, 8:41 amWith Wal Mart Supercenter next door, Stater across the street, Sprouts practically next door, and Grocery Outlet across the street, I wonder how much business this store actually does.
Safeway started out in the location where Sprouts is now and built the location that Vons is leaving as a replacement store. I seemed to remember that happening in the early 80's but I read on another site that it was built as Safeway in 1972. The Stater Bros was originally an Albertson's.

The WalMart was built in 1992 and expanded into a full Supercenter five years ago so I suspect this is probably what drove the nail into this Vons' coffin.

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 6:56 pm
by rwsandiego
My guess is the story unfolded like this:
  • It has come time to remodel this VONS
  • The community has become more affluent and expects its VONS to have the same amenities as other stores
  • The existing footprint will not accommodate said amenities
  • The store has nowhere to expand
  • The shopping center would like a fitness chain in the mall
  • The shopping center management and VONS talk

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 8:00 pm
by storewanderer
rwsandiego wrote: September 21st, 2019, 6:56 pm My guess is the story unfolded like this:
  • It has come time to remodel this VONS
  • The community has become more affluent and expects its VONS to have the same amenities as other stores
  • The existing footprint will not accommodate said amenities
  • The store has nowhere to expand
  • The shopping center would like a fitness chain in the mall
  • The shopping center management and VONS talk
Looking at the interior of this Vons, it is a mid cycle lifestyle remodel. There are numerous stores like that that are strong performers and have not yet been remodeled. But a remodel could potentially improve this store's fortunes... but the area seems to have attracted pretty intense price competition. Stater talks price hard to sound as if they are a good deal even if they are not as good of a deal as they make themselves sound they have fair prices generally, but Vons does not talk price much and has terrible prices.

I suspect Sprouts beats them on "image" and perception of Organic/healthy product mix (people seem proud to say they shop at Sprouts, almost like Whole Foods or Trader Joes, and how they are so into Organic despite that the vast majority of Sprouts produce is not even Organic), Stater beat them on "service," Wal Mart was there taking high sales volume how it always does, and all of the above beat them on price. Vons is the lowest rated store of all the surrounding stores so clearly operations were not great. Grocery Outlet showed up taking $5,000 a week or whatever little bit they may have taken in sales from Vons was probably inconsequential when considering the effect of all of the other competition, but it does cause more price pressure at the intersection even if it does not directly take any more sales. The result is a marginally performing at best Vons. Probably not failing, but not thriving and not able to justify remodeling by any stretch. The competition isn't going to go anywhere. The result is the space will generate more rent as a fitness center and some other tenant than it does as a Vons.

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 8:42 pm
by klkla
My guess of what transpired is this:

1 - After WalMart expanded to a supercenter they probably decided to wait a couple years and see how they are impacted.

2 - It's been five years and they have an answer. There's only room for one conventional supermarket in the area and they know Stater Bros is unlikely to close, so they started marketing the property as a sublease. It would appear they have signed the fitness center to take half of the store and probably still trying to sign another company for the other half.

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 9:19 pm
by storewanderer
klkla wrote: September 21st, 2019, 8:42 pm My guess of what transpired is this:

1 - After WalMart expanded to a supercenter they probably decided to wait a couple years and see how they are impacted.

2 - It's been five years and they have an answer. There's only room for one conventional supermarket in the area and they know Stater Bros is unlikely to close, so they started marketing the property as a sublease. It would appear they have signed the fitness center to take half of the store and probably still trying to sign another company for the other half.
It appears the customers really love that Stater Bros. reading the reviews online. I have to hand it to Stater, they seem to really know how to satisfy their customers. I guess running a clean orderly store with professional efficient employees goes a long ways. Even when your prices aren't great and your products are just okay. They probably ran higher volume so they had fresher products, helping quality image with customers. Compared to a lower volume Vons where stuff sits around longer (even if it was better quality to begin with...).

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 21st, 2019, 9:40 pm
by klkla
storewanderer wrote: September 21st, 2019, 9:19 pmIt appears the customers really love that Stater Bros. reading the reviews online. I have to hand it to Stater, they seem to really know how to satisfy their customers. I guess running a clean orderly store with professional efficient employees goes a long ways. Even when your prices aren't great and your products are just okay. They probably ran higher volume so they had fresher products, helping quality image with customers. Compared to a lower volume Vons where stuff sits around longer (even if it was better quality to begin with...).
Stater Bros does well in middle income suburban and rural areas of SoCal. Their product line doesn't offer much diversity or sophistication but their customer base is just looking for the basics at good prices.

What sets them apart from the rest of the pack is their service meat counters. That's usually the first thing someone will mention when asked what they like about 'Staters'.

They've also been consistent in their branding for many years of being a local company with good prices.

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 25th, 2019, 11:46 pm
by Bagels
klkla wrote: September 21st, 2019, 9:40 pmStater Bros does well in middle income suburban and rural areas of SoCal. Their product line doesn't offer much diversity or sophistication but their customer base is just looking for the basics at good prices.

What sets them apart from the rest of the pack is their service meat counters. That's usually the first thing someone will mention when asked what they like about 'Staters'.

They've also been consistent in their branding for many years of being a local company with good prices.
It seems Stater Bros. is more well received in the Inland Empire than LA/OC. Quite frankly, I think there's little difference in product offerings between Stater Bros., Ralph's and Vons/Albertsons. Stater Bros. has the weakest sales, but (generally) the lowest pricing on national brands. Stater Bros. locations in Laguna Woods (built new circa 1998) and Lake Forest (acquired during the Lucky-Albertsons merger) were successful in chasing the Vons location across the street out of business (and largely out of South County).

I do question Stater Bros.' performance in LA/OC. Over the past 20 years (since they heavily expanded from stores divested by Lucy & Albertsons), they've shown little interest in growing - even after Albertsons-Vons were forced to divest prime locations featuring low rents otherwise unavailable. Suddenly, over the past year or so, they began aggressively remodeling their stores (including building several replacements), and announced plans for new stores. One industry analyst speculated they were preparing to sell themselves to Amazon, although he later backed off that opinion. We'll see...

Re: Poway Vons to Close?

Posted: September 27th, 2019, 10:35 pm
by CalItalian
Bagels wrote: September 25th, 2019, 11:46 pm
klkla wrote: September 21st, 2019, 9:40 pmStater Bros does well in middle income suburban and rural areas of SoCal. Their product line doesn't offer much diversity or sophistication but their customer base is just looking for the basics at good prices.

What sets them apart from the rest of the pack is their service meat counters. That's usually the first thing someone will mention when asked what they like about 'Staters'.

They've also been consistent in their branding for many years of being a local company with good prices.
It seems Stater Bros. is more well received in the Inland Empire than LA/OC. Quite frankly, I think there's little difference in product offerings between Stater Bros., Ralph's and Vons/Albertsons. Stater Bros. has the weakest sales, but (generally) the lowest pricing on national brands. Stater Bros. locations in Laguna Woods (built new circa 1998) and Lake Forest (acquired during the Lucky-Albertsons merger) were successful in chasing the Vons location across the street out of business (and largely out of South County).

I do question Stater Bros.' performance in LA/OC. Over the past 20 years (since they heavily expanded from stores divested by Lucy & Albertsons), they've shown little interest in growing - even after Albertsons-Vons were forced to divest prime locations featuring low rents otherwise unavailable. Suddenly, over the past year or so, they began aggressively remodeling their stores (including building several replacements), and announced plans for new stores. One industry analyst speculated they were preparing to sell themselves to Amazon, although he later backed off that opinion. We'll see...
Stater Bros has more product variety than Ralphs by far. Ralphs has the least. Vons/Albertsons in-between. The product assortment at Ralphs is constantly changing something I don't see at Stater Bros.. Ralphs use to have the largest product variety. Quite frankly, Ralphs is maddening these days to shop in since they are constantly dropping products.

Stater Bros. is very popular in some O.C. locations I have been in such as their Tustin location which is a really nice store. But in the Inland Empire, they are loved. I really don't understand why other than they are spaced just a few miles apart in most places so they are everywhere. I don't find their prices to be special at all.

Ralphs isn't expanding either. And their stores in Riverside County have very little business despite being few and far between. Even their remodeled former Marketplace location in Murrieta isn't a very busy location. Their Temecula location - which is a nice large store - can be downright dead right at 5 pm any weeknight.

One store that I can say is starting to pick up sales is Aldi after a poor start. Aldi is getting their product assortment right for Southland residents, finally. And on price, for staples, they can't be beat. They routinely have eggs close to $1 and on sale as low as .49 cents. Probably the largest price difference with any other staple with the other chains. Milk 2% gallon is $2.37 which no other store is close to. Vons/Albertsons is running a special on Lucerne Butter 1 lb. this weekend for $3.49 but it's $2.48 everyday for Aldi's butter. They also recently lowered the price on sour cream at Aldi to $1.25. Nobody is even close to that price in Southern California even during sales.