Pavilions Sherman Oaks New Build Plans

[CalItalian]

So glad Ralphs/Ralphs Fresh Fare gave up on those polished concrete floors. They look terrible. This doesn't look like an upscale store from the floor to the ceiling.

[veteran+]

Pavilions in W. Hollywood has irregular spilt aisles.

Was this latest remodel done under Safeway/Vons or Albertsons/Safeway/Vons????

The last remodel was completed last year.

WOW.....last year?

The store is already looking tired.

The travel paths are so weird.

The right side (facing in) is congested and the left side has too much space.

Oh well...............

[CalItalian]

Pavilions in W. Hollywood has irregular spilt aisles.

Was this latest remodel done under Safeway/Vons or Albertsons/Safeway/Vons????

The last remodel was completed last year.

WOW.....last year?

The store is already looking tired.

The travel paths are so weird.

The right side (facing in) is congested and the left side has too much space.

Oh well...............

Their grand reopening was August 14 last year

[CalItalian]

Haven't found any stories on Pavilions Sherman Oaks grand opening but there are a few pictures up on Twitter.

[storewanderer]

Sad when Stater's newest store looks more upscale than this.

[veteran+]

The last remodel was completed last year.

WOW.....last year?

The store is already looking tired.

The travel paths are so weird.

The right side (facing in) is congested and the left side has too much space.

Oh well...............

Their grand reopening was August 14 last year

WOW!!!!

One year old and this store is not aging well.

I wonder how much money they spent?

The HUGE corner front entrance was an egotistical design that is ALWAYS closed. The entrance area and just beyond is an utter waste of space. Meanwhile you have cramped aisles on the other side of the store and crazy navigation routes to shop.

Not an ugly store but not really upscale.

If this is a sample of recent "New Design" coming out of Albertsons..................I'm speechless.

[TW-Upstate NY]

That looks more like an Aldi than an (allegedly)upscale supermarket. You expect that from Aldi because it's supposed to be simple and utilitarian and just the basics. They can't do any better than this?

[storewanderer]

That looks more like an Aldi than an (allegedly)upscale supermarket. You expect that from Aldi because it's supposed to be simple and utilitarian and just the basics. They can't do any better than this?

I think if they could do something to the ceiling (skylights and finish it?) - it would really help.

The newer build Safeways in NorCal look more finished and polished than this... not real sure what they are thinking with this.

[klkla]

I was finally able to go into this store yesterday morning.

The good:
There are a lot more upscale elements than existing Pavilions stores and it is completely differentiated from a regular Vons. Perishable departments run along the perimeter starting with a large cheese and charcuterie department, followed by a fresh pizza station, a larger than usual custom sandwich area, a deli service case with fresh salads and entrees and then hot foods. At 11:30 everything looked really good (no surprise) and was a notch up from anything I have seen in a Pavilions in years and two or three notches up from Vons. The hot food didn't look like anything special, though. Seafood looked good. The service meat was excellent both in terms of selection but also presentation. USDA Prime beef, Snake River Farms wagyu beef products as well as grass fed cuts were some of the standouts and everything looked great.

The presentation was really good in all departments. For instance in service meat, each item was displayed on it's own plate and garnished. The entire perimeter gets an A+.

The store has the regular Pavilions decor package which looked OK. But you really won't be looking at the graphics while shopping at this store. The emphasis is on the actual product and they deserve credit for doing that well.

The parking lot is also huge and easy to access.

The bad:
While I was impressed by the selection of virtually every center store category (a lot of interesting gourmet and lesser know brands mixed in with the regular selection) the organization was awful. The designers must have stopped by their local 'dispensary' before sitting down to plot this mess. Some of the aisles run front to back, and others from side to side. But there's no rhyme or reason to it. And even some of the aisles that run the same direction with breaks in the middle don't align. It would be very difficult to shop this store on a regular basis with a list because it's just too difficult to find anything.

It seems to me that this layout is designed to slow people down so they see all the interesting & different items as they stroll randomly through the maze. But if you are in a hurry with a list of items you need it would be very frustrating.

Verdict:

If I lived in Sherman Oaks I would probably shop here when I'm looking for something special and not in a hurry.

This store will have a lot of competition. As I was driving down Ventura Blvd. I saw that they were putting the final touches on the new Whole Foods a couple blocks away. And of course there's the huge Ralphs Fresh Fare a couple more blocks down the street which has a lot of the same features as Pavilions. The other major store in the area is the Gelson's on Van Nuys Blvd. which was remodeled earlier this year. What distinguishes them is that they have two huge good old-fashioned outdoor parking lots on each side of the store and at 30,000 sq. ft. it is much easier to navigate when you're in a hurry.

[storewanderer]

I was finally able to go into this store yesterday morning.

Sounds like they are staffing the perimeter well to execute it this way. How was the staffing in the rest of the store?

At least they can execute well if they put the resources to it. As I saw in Boise.