Albertsons Cos adding another house brand (wine)

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retailfanmitchell019
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Re: Albertsons Cos adding another house brand (wine)

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

rwsandiego wrote: April 28th, 2021, 7:47 pm When I first moved to San Diego (late 2000) Albertsons opened a store in Mira Mesa near my office and in Carmel Mountain (a few freeway exits away). If they had the Jewel decor instead of that bizarre circus-like dreck of a package I would have sworn they were both Jewel stores. The store they opened in City Heights (it had the awning decor) looked even more like a Jewel. The differences between those stores and the ones inherited from the Lucky "marriage" were stark. Albertsons should have kept the Lucky name for its rougher, discount-looking stores and converted the better stores (Oceanside/Vista comes to mind) to Albertsons.

My guess is they would have changed the Jewel name but left the store operations alone, as they were already adapting Jewel concepts in Albertsons stores. While it would have been a PR disaster along the lines of the Marshall Fields/Macy's re-brand, it would not have been as bad as the Dominick's fiasco.

Maybe they should use "Skiff and Ross, est 1899" for premium, "Mugar's Dairy" for milk, "Crawford's Bread Company" for bakery, "Randall Farms" for pre-packaged produce, "Brockton Public Market" for seafood and meat, "Joe's Choice" for mid-range, and "Skaggs Saves" for low-end value-oriented products. :lol:
The "bizarre circus-like dreck" is the Grocery Palace interior. This was the one with the milk barn and spinning chef. http://albertsonsfloridablog.blogspot.c ... south.html
An Albertsons in El Cajon was built with this interior in 1999 or so. There is another Albertsons Grocery Palace in Escondido with an abandoned garden center. There is a former Lucky/Alpha Beta in Fallbrook remodeled into this interior, but dumbed down.

I grew up in Oceanside (now in Vista). Albertsons did remodel a former Lucky in Oceanside, giving it Jewel interior (still has it). Oceanside was home to the first Albertsons in the county.

I LOVE your private label ideas!! Reminds me of Sainsbury's private labels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_bra ... ainsbury's
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Re: Albertsons Cos adding another house brand (wine)

Post by arizonaguy »

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: April 28th, 2021, 9:02 pm
rwsandiego wrote: April 28th, 2021, 7:47 pm When I first moved to San Diego (late 2000) Albertsons opened a store in Mira Mesa near my office and in Carmel Mountain (a few freeway exits away). If they had the Jewel decor instead of that bizarre circus-like dreck of a package I would have sworn they were both Jewel stores. The store they opened in City Heights (it had the awning decor) looked even more like a Jewel. The differences between those stores and the ones inherited from the Lucky "marriage" were stark. Albertsons should have kept the Lucky name for its rougher, discount-looking stores and converted the better stores (Oceanside/Vista comes to mind) to Albertsons.

My guess is they would have changed the Jewel name but left the store operations alone, as they were already adapting Jewel concepts in Albertsons stores. While it would have been a PR disaster along the lines of the Marshall Fields/Macy's re-brand, it would not have been as bad as the Dominick's fiasco.

Maybe they should use "Skiff and Ross, est 1899" for premium, "Mugar's Dairy" for milk, "Crawford's Bread Company" for bakery, "Randall Farms" for pre-packaged produce, "Brockton Public Market" for seafood and meat, "Joe's Choice" for mid-range, and "Skaggs Saves" for low-end value-oriented products. :lol:
The "bizarre circus-like dreck" is the Grocery Palace interior. This was the one with the milk barn and spinning chef. http://albertsonsfloridablog.blogspot.c ... south.html
An Albertsons in El Cajon was built with this interior in 1999 or so. There is another Albertsons Grocery Palace in Escondido with an abandoned garden center. There is a former Lucky/Alpha Beta in Fallbrook remodeled into this interior, but dumbed down.

I grew up in Oceanside (now in Vista). Albertsons did remodel a former Lucky in Oceanside, giving it Jewel interior (still has it). Oceanside was home to the first Albertsons in the county.

I LOVE your private label ideas!! Reminds me of Sainsbury's private labels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_bra ... ainsbury's
I actually liked that "Grocery Palace" decor although few stores here in the Phoenix area got it. One thing I have to say about it though is that it has aged horribly,

Lee Lee International Supermarket in Peoria, AZ still has it (with added neon signage on top as well): Lee Lee International Supermarket

I believe that the Albertsons in Changler, AZ still has it as well Albertsons Chandler, AZ

Most of the stores built during this era have closed or have been renovated to the LLC Decor or Colorful Lifestyle decor.
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Re: Albertsons Cos adding another house brand (wine)

Post by rwsandiego »

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: April 28th, 2021, 9:02 pm...The "bizarre circus-like dreck" is the Grocery Palace interior. This was the one with the milk barn and spinning chef. http://albertsonsfloridablog.blogspot.c ... south.html...
I know, I know. "Bizarre circus-like dreck" sounds funnier. :)
arizonaguy wrote: April 28th, 2021, 10:54 pm...I actually liked that "Grocery Palace" decor although few stores here in the Phoenix area got it. One thing I have to say about it though is that it has aged horribly...
Truth be told, so did I. At first. After a while, I was ready for the stores to be remodeled into something else. Plain white walls with black block-letter department signs would have suited me just fine at that point.
arizonaguy wrote: April 28th, 2021, 10:54 pm...Lee Lee International Supermarket in Peoria, AZ still has it (with added neon signage on top as well):
Oh, man - I have to see that in person! While out that way I'll check out the Asiana Market in Glendale that has the original ABCO Desert Market interior.
retailfanmitchell019 wrote: April 28th, 2021, 9:02 pm...I LOVE your private label ideas!! Reminds me of Sainsbury's private labels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_bra ... ainsbury's
Thank you. If they are going to create brands they should at least honor the company's heritage.
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Re: Albertsons Cos adding another house brand (wine)

Post by pseudo3d »

rwsandiego wrote: April 26th, 2021, 10:47 pm Exactly. If the merged company pisses off NorCal and Chicago again they can kiss the company goodbye unless they have the skill and lack of hubris to undo any damage they will have done. Personally, I think Albertsons is smart enough not to do something like that. They learned their lesson from the Lucky fiasco. Safeway, on the other hand, never learned any lessons from the numerous mistakes (Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randall's, Tom Thumb...) they made because they never recognized they made mistakes. Instead, they blamed others.
Keep in mind that SuperValu did hurt Jewel (and the rest of the stores) a fair bit, destroying a lot of the Jewel brand names, and ending a long-standing tradition of the Osco side having its own store manager. (Source).
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