Retail Watchers

Cedar Mill News article with a touch of the editor/author's opinion: http://www.cedarmillnews.com/619/balesforsale.html

The location in Cedar Mill is kind of dated and I feel like UNFI is not helping mainstream grocers remain competitive with remodeled large chains or well run "natural" / specialty competition.

Since the 2004 acquisition, this company has bought another local chain (Lambs) and sold two of those locations.

Aren't these owned by the brother of Bob Miller (old Albertsons CEO) or some relative?

UNFI isn't doing things any different than Unified did. Lousy support to independents. High prices. Nothing to drive volume to the stores. SVU helped them by bringing in a larger and more extensive private label line but promotion has been limited and prices are too high. So maybe that was not a help because the stuff is going to just end up going out of date since it won't sell because they are over-SKUed, under-promotioned, and overpriced.

I don't know how Sherm's does it down in Medford/Roseburg/Klamath Falls with great pricing and high store volumes as a Unified/SVU/UNFI customer. They have their own trucks and warehouses and seem to be ordering a lot of items by the pallet then distributing to their stores. Maybe that radically reduces their item cost vs. these other Unified/UNFI independents who get single boxes direct delivered to their store.

Update: unconfirmed reports but union reports to KPTV 12 that Aloha (Farmington Rd) and Cedar Mill Bales Markets are closing.

https://www.kptv.com/news/bales-thriftw ... 467b4.html

More from The Cedar Mill News about the Bales on Cornell Rd. winding down:
http://cedarmillnews.com/919/balescedar ... osure.html

Update, as confirmed by OregonLive.com / The Oregonian:
All four Bales / Lambs Marketplaces are closing. The Garden Home and Palisades locations in mid-October. Based on photos of Cedar Mill, it will likely be by then as well.
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/201 ... osing.html

On a related note, there appears to be separate Thriftway chains for Oregon and Washington (with different logos), however, there doesn't appear to be a main site for the Oregon Thriftway stores (which I think are independent franchises) Is the Oregon Thriftway chain gradually being phased out? They don't seem to do much advertising these days, and the stores in Washington along I-5 that were part of the Oregon Thriftway that were as far north as Castle Rock, WA all abandoned the Thriftway name or have closed.

Super S wrote: ↑September 12th, 2019, 1:00 pm On a related note, there appears to be separate Thriftway chains for Oregon and Washington (with different logos), however, there doesn't appear to be a main site for the Oregon Thriftway stores (which I think are independent franchises) Is the Oregon Thriftway chain gradually being phased out? They don't seem to do much advertising these days, and the stores in Washington along I-5 that were part of the Oregon Thriftway that were as far north as Castle Rock, WA all abandoned the Thriftway name or have closed.

Thriftway hasn't been a chain in the Portland market for years. Lamb's left the Thriftway sign up for years but haven't been using that name in their advertising for the last 5-10 years. A lot of the small markets left may just not have the funds to change all their store signage.