New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

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retailfanmitchell019
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

Bluelightspecial wrote: February 8th, 2020, 10:13 pm Did the news story say they would close the existing La Quinta Vons if the Pavilions gets approved? If I recall, the La Quinta Vons was expanded not to many years ago. I think the more surprising thing from the news article is that they want to open a store with a drive through pharmacy. For ex Safeway divisions I know Tom Thumb had drive through pharmacies, but are there any other Albertsons or Vons drive through pharmacies in southern California?
There are a few Albertsons drive-thru pharmacies in CA. Most (if not all) are 2000's model stores. Examples are Murrieta-Hot Springs (2004 build, possibly the last store to be built with Grocery Palace decor, Jewel layout), Murrieta-Scott Rd (2005 build with Jewel decor), San Clemente (2001/02 build, Grocery Palace layout), Fullerton (clone of San Clemente store), Tujunga (clone of Murrieta-Hot Springs store, but with Jewel decor)
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by pseudo3d »

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: February 14th, 2020, 12:20 pm
Bluelightspecial wrote: February 8th, 2020, 10:13 pm Did the news story say they would close the existing La Quinta Vons if the Pavilions gets approved? If I recall, the La Quinta Vons was expanded not to many years ago. I think the more surprising thing from the news article is that they want to open a store with a drive through pharmacy. For ex Safeway divisions I know Tom Thumb had drive through pharmacies, but are there any other Albertsons or Vons drive through pharmacies in southern California?
There are a few Albertsons drive-thru pharmacies in CA. Most (if not all) are 2000's model stores. Examples are Murrieta-Hot Springs (2004 build, possibly the last store to be built with Grocery Palace decor, Jewel layout), Murrieta-Scott Rd (2005 build with Jewel decor), San Clemente (2001/02 build, Grocery Palace layout), Fullerton (clone of San Clemente store), Tujunga (clone of Murrieta-Hot Springs store, but with Jewel decor)
As a whole, pre-2006 Albertsons didn't really do drive-through pharmacies, and the few that did are few and far between. This posed some problem for the stores that acquired them. The Kroger in Sulphur, Louisiana (former Albertsons) has a drive-through pharmacy awkwardly retrofitted into the FRONT of the store. An Albertsons (2003 build, sold to H-E-B in 2007) in Austin DID have a pharmacy drive through, but it was so unusual I had thought the pharmacy drive-through was an H-E-B feature that replaced the Albertsons garden center after it closed (and may well have been in the original planning documents) but it was built with a drive-through after all.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by CalItalian »

Hearing continued until October 6. Residents don't want the Pavilions gas station. Albertsons won't build it without it.
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/lo ... 392894002/
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by storewanderer »

The new build Safeway in Sacramento that opened last year was delayed for many years due to this. The neighborhood did not want a gas station. The old pre-Albertsons Safeway refused to build without it. The developer tried various threats like that if they would not allow the gas station he would bring in a Grocery Outlet, but the neighborhood held firm. At some point after Albertsons bought Safeway, they agreed to the new Sacramento Store without the gas station and it was built and opened last year.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by Alpha8472 »

Those Safeway gas stations are popular, but does it really increase the number of customers? Perhaps a little, but it is not really a make or break thing.

Safeway gas is not Top Tier and the quality is lower than most other brands. I would not trust Safeway gas. The lines are so long at the gas station that you might as well go to Costco and wait in line there for better quality gas.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by storewanderer »

It has been interesting how some grocers want gas stations and others want nothing to do with gas stations.

Albertsons wanted nothing to do with them (both Supervalu and Albertsons LLC). Safeway had gas stations in about 25% of its store locations compared to Kroger who has gas stations in a much higher percentage of stores (perhaps 75% of stores).

Somehow on these new stores it seems Albertsons has come around to a conclusion that they need a gas station on the site to make the new store work. My guess is the stations must make money when in a high traffic location with a loyalty card tie in (this is where the previous Albertsons gas operation had some issues). They absolutely generate significant top line revenue but as for profits I am not so sure how much profit is generated.

It is also possible they want the gas station so someone else can't open a gas station in their parking lot and start undercutting the store's prices on liquor and cigarettes.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

That's a ton of cap-ex just to potentially keep out a competitor for just two items no matter how profitable they may be. When you account for the initial investment of building it and keeping it supplied and staffed, how much money could you possibly be making? Unless they're full blown convenience stores, it just doesn't seem worth it. I would also think (especially in Ca.) there are potential environmental liabilities as well. What if there's an underground fuel leak? That'll cost a ton of dough to mitigate. I can cite several examples here in NY where it seems gas stations are replacing storage tanks every few years. And aside from one Shop-Rite I can think of, I know of not one grocer locally that has an on-site gas station. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle of it all.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by buckguy »

Kroger doesn't have gas stations at even a majority of the stores in many markets. They went all in with them in Atlanta in the early 2000s but don't seem to have been adding them lately. Safeway opened a few in the DC area, but otherwise, no one has them here.

Gas, per se, has never been very profitable. Traditional gas stations of the past made their profit from repair work. The current crop get it from c-store stuff. I would guess that chains like Giant Eagle find it to be a volume builder and a reasonably profitable sideline with the c-stores, but also none of their main competitors have them.

Besides the environmental consequences, there's also the issue of water getting into the tanks. Less of a problem in places with little or highly localized ground water, but it adds financial risk.
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: July 11th, 2020, 9:21 pm It is also possible they want the gas station so someone else can't open a gas station in their parking lot and start undercutting the store's prices on liquor and cigarettes.
Seems if it's their parking lot, they could just say we don't want a station there and then no worry about someone else building it.
TW-Upstate NY wrote: July 12th, 2020, 8:59 am And aside from one Shop-Rite I can think of, I know of not one grocer locally that has an on-site gas station. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle of it all.
True - Shop Rite does have a second gas station, but not exactly on the same property as the store. In that case they just bought an existing one a block down (and may not have had room within plans to build one where the store is). Price Chopper did have them years ago at some locations, but got rid of them (and most places, they've moved their stores since anyway, even if the station is still there, like Watervliet).
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Re: New Build Pavilions La Quinta Coming in 2021

Post by klkla »

BillyGr wrote: July 13th, 2020, 9:59 am Seems if it's their parking lot, they could just say we don't want a station there and then no worry about someone else building it.
Absolutely. You would just make it a term of the lease. But it could be the property owner that is insisting on a gas station for revenue purposes.
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