Fry's Marketplace "lite"

[arizonaguy]

When picking up a sales flyer at a Fry's Marketplace store in Phoenix, I noticed that it had two Fry's Food and Drug (and not Marketplace) stores listed as stores where "some items may not be available".

The stores are two former Smith's Food and Drug stores (at 40th St. and Thunderbird Rd. and 43rd Ave. and Cactus Rd. in Phoenix). The Fry's website doesn't mention that these stores have an added merchandise selection, there is no exterior signage that they do, but they do have some general merchandise "marketplace' departments not found at other Fry's Food and Drug stores in the Phoenix area:

Here are some photos of the 40th St. and Thunderbird Rd. Fry's Marketplace "lite" store (I assume that the 43rd Ave. and Cactus Road store looks similar on the inside, I know that the exterior of the store is almost identical). Of note is that this store, like the former Smitty's (Fry's Marketplace and former Fry's Marketplace) stores, does not have Kroger's most recent interior package.

Entrance:



Furniture & Home Accessories area:



Pool & Patio area:



Accent Rugs, Area Rugs, and linens aisle. Note the "bring it all home" slogan:



Kitchenware area (almost identical to one found in a regular Fry's Marketplace):



BONUS (a photo of the Produce department in front of the Kitchenware area):

[jamcool]

The lone Fry's store in Flagstaff (ex-Smith's) has a similar kitcheware dept.

[storewanderer]

I've seen these kitchen departments in a lot of Kroger Stores across multiple divisions. Frys seems to have more of them than other divisions while Smiths seems to have fewer. I think Smiths has about 2 of them. Maybe. Not counting the Marketplace Stores. I think Ralphs and King Soopers each have about 20 or so of these Kitchen Place departments. You can search the store locator for that department.

The Frys Signature Stores also have an abbreviated marketplace mix. The mix in the store photographed appears similar to a Frys Signature.

Good to see them trying to merchandise the space attractively in those big Smiths Stores. Better than spreading the bottled water out over almost a full aisle (as was done in Sparks and Carson City, NV Smiths remodels last year... to their credit they do have a full aisle of kitchen (looks nothing like the true Kitchen Places), another large aisle with hardware/automotive/air filters, another aisle was toys/candles/limited sporting items... )