Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

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ClownLoach
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by ClownLoach »

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: March 11th, 2023, 10:50 pm
storewanderer wrote: March 11th, 2023, 10:45 pm
The store appears to have opened in 1998, so I am guessing the 25 year lease ended.

At least they rode out the lease. They didn't spend a cent inside other than expanding service meat when they converted the store from Lucky.

This store very clearly was never working out but it must have at least broken even as they didn't close it.

This was the least staffed Stater I've ever shopped.

The success rate on these Lucky/Sav-On Combo Stores built in the late 90's hasn't been great.
A clone of this store up in Temecula is still open... as an Albertsons.

On a side note relating to Stater Bros., I found this.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1206869 ... -brothers/
This is obviously a Groceteria topic, but hilarious in any case.
There are also clones in Corona and Huntington Beach.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: March 11th, 2023, 10:45 pm
ClownLoach wrote: March 11th, 2023, 10:00 pm
retailfanmitchell019 wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:45 am
I honestly think with Stater raising prices, doing cheaper remodels, and closure of some stores, they might end up selling to Raley's.
This is a declining location that is hard to get to and frankly was never a success from day one. The center it's in is deteriorating and the owners have been talking about tearing down that end and building apartments for years now (I used to manage a store in the next center over). In addition Stater has just completed an extensive, very expensive remodel of the nearby store off Highway 76 in which a very old and small store was enlarged and brought to their latest prototype. I would argue this may have been the most thorough and expensive remodel of a supermarket in the SoCal area I can name in the last 5 years. It is literally a brand new store as they gutted it in quarters out to the block walls and started again. Although I don't agree with the decisions made from a merchandising perspective it is a beautifully remodeled store. Stater also recently fully remodeled Encinitas to their '2019' prototype decor. They're not going away anytime soon.
The store appears to have opened in 1998, so I am guessing the 25 year lease ended.

At least they rode out the lease. They didn't spend a cent inside other than expanding service meat when they converted the store from Lucky.

This store very clearly was never working out but it must have at least broken even as they didn't close it.

This was the least staffed Stater I've ever shopped.

The success rate on these Lucky/Sav-On Combo Stores built in the late 90's hasn't been great.
Trying not to reply ad nauseum but the 25 year lease timing, the apartments being considered for the center, and the fact that Stater spent most of the last year heavily remodeling that other store at great expense shows they're committed to the North San Diego market. They're not leaving and nobody should be sounding alarm bells. They'd be crazy to leave entirely (except where they closed in Escondido and that is a very difficult area to operate in, very high shrink, homeless problems, and some of the most difficult customers I've ever encountered in my retail career). They clearly are so committed that they kept that other Oceanside store open during the remodel/expansion. The work done was so extensive I am sure it would have been cheaper to close for the remodel, or even tear down and rebuild, but they must have decided they didn't want to alienate their customers so they spent extra to stay open.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by storewanderer »

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: March 11th, 2023, 10:50 pm
A clone of this store up in Temecula is still open... as an Albertsons.

On a side note relating to Stater Bros., I found this.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1206869 ... -brothers/
This is obviously a Groceteria topic, but hilarious in any case.
NorCal has one still open in Carmichael as Save Mart, also one in Union City (Dyer St.) as Lucky.

I think there are a few others still around. South of the bay area, Marina I think. Might be a Food Maxx now.

Ralphs in Los Osos is also a clone of this, still open.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: March 11th, 2023, 11:04 pm
Trying not to reply ad nauseum but the 25 year lease timing, the apartments being considered for the center, and the fact that Stater spent most of the last year heavily remodeling that other store at great expense shows they're committed to the North San Diego market. They're not leaving and nobody should be sounding alarm bells. They'd be crazy to leave entirely (except where they closed in Escondido and that is a very difficult area to operate in, very high shrink, homeless problems, and some of the most difficult customers I've ever encountered in my retail career). They clearly are so committed that they kept that other Oceanside store open during the remodel/expansion. The work done was so extensive I am sure it would have been cheaper to close for the remodel, or even tear down and rebuild, but they must have decided they didn't want to alienate their customers so they spent extra to stay open.
I see 0% chance Stater would exit from these San Diego fringe markets as I call them. From what I've seen, the stores do great. This Oceanside store that closed is not surprising and based on the factors you described in Escondido while the store there was smaller and seemed to have foot traffic the times I was there, obviously it was also a problem location.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by ClownLoach »

Stater Bros is featuring the grand reopening of the new Oceanside store on their social media this week. Some of the pictures showed some of the areas that were missing when the store was almost finished a few weeks ago like the cake counter and other areas. Next time I'm down there I'll take a look at the finished product but it was looking very good last time, definitely an upgrade from the first usage of their new decor. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the most costly remodel of any supermarket in SoCal in the last five years, a major investment by Stater in the fast growing Oceanside community to expand this store. Clearly millions of dollars spent here.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by storewanderer »

Meanwhile looking at competition in Oceanside I see it is stacked just great when you pass Stater- first you have Albertsons, then what looks like a low volume Ralphs Marketplace, then Vons which just got a colorful lifestyle remodel. It will be interesting to see what ends up divested.
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Re: Stater Bros. Oceanside (Vista Way) closed

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

storewanderer wrote: March 26th, 2023, 12:25 am Meanwhile looking at competition in Oceanside I see it is stacked just great when you pass Stater- first you have Albertsons, then what looks like a low volume Ralphs Marketplace, then Vons which just got a colorful lifestyle remodel. It will be interesting to see what ends up divested.
The Albertsons nearby is a 1986 build "Superstore", it just got a Colorful Lifestyle remodel too. The Sav-on sign is gone, replaced with a black "PHARMACY" sign in the Safeway logo font. This store had 3 interiors prior to this remodel: Blue/Gray, then what you refer to as the "white walls" interior (Awnings), then Premium Fresh & Healthy. I bet this store is going to SpinCo, along with the Vons. I'm surprised the O'side Vons hasn't been converted to the Albertsons banner.
Across Highway 76 from the Walmart/Vons plaza is a Target (former Kmart)/Sprouts plaza. The Sprouts there is a former Ralphs, which relocated to build that Marketplace in 2004.
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