Albertsons LLC Opening LA Store

[storewanderer]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/92154899.html

[krogerclerk]

Denham Springs is part of the Baton Rouge metro and Livingston Parrish has been one of Lousiana's fastest growing parrishes(counties) since the mid-70's, and greatly accelerated since Hurricane Katrina. While the rest of the DFW division of Albertson's LLC seems to be struggling, the SE LA stores seem to be doing well.

Last year the LLC opened a store in Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, opened in a former A&P Sav-a-Center, in St. Tammany Parrish, another parrish that has boomed since Katrina. The store was one of the new SAC's in the New Orleans region. ABS LLC may have found a way to cheaply expand its presence by opening in abandoned supermarkets. LLC's opportunity in the region is buoyed by A&P's exit and a still struggling Winn-Dixie as the primary traditional supermarket competition.

[wnetmacman]

Last year the LLC opened a store in Mandeville, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, opened in a former A&P Sav-a-Center, in St. Tammany Parrish

Funny you should mention this. The store that was 'opened' in Mandeville was built by Delchamps/Jitney Jungle during their ill-fated merger time. It was a Delchamps Premier, replacing an older store across the street. The store closed in 2000-2001. It was bought, funny enough, by Albertsons. The store was an Albertsons until about 2005, when they sold all their stores around New Orleans to A&P, when it became a Sav-A-Center. When A&P sold their New Orleans division to Rouses, this was one of the stores that Rouses opted not to buy because it was very close to a brand new Rouses that was doing quite well. I would call this more of a reopening.

The new Denham Springs store is opening in an old Winn-Dixie that has been closed since 2003 or so. It's a refit, of sorts. Albertsons LLC isn't building, they're just reusing old stores.

[pseudo3d]

I thought the Mandeville Albertsons (v1) pulled out with the rest of the NOLA stores in 2002 with the slash-and-burn of the Houston/San Antonio stores. There was another store near New Orleans that was sold to Sav-a-Center, which became Rouses. By 2005 (and Katrina) Albertsons was only in Baton Rouge.

[wnetmacman]

I just reconfirmed; it was April of 2004 that Albertsons sold stores to A&P and closed what they didn't want. The Mandeville store has been Albertsons twice; it isn't coming back this time.

[pseudo3d]

I just reconfirmed; it was April of 2004 that Albertsons sold stores to A&P and closed what they didn't want. The Mandeville store has been Albertsons twice; it isn't coming back this time.

Yeah, I know Albertsons 2.0 is dead, they basically gutted the space because they wanted a Whole Foods more than an Albertsons (although not sure how Albertsons was doing...sounded either like a "forced buyout of lease" or "an offer they couldn't refuse" rather than the store doing badly)

edit: wonder if they'll re-enter the area by buying out and converting the Winn-Dixie

[wnetmacman]

edit: wonder if they'll re-enter the area by buying out and converting the Winn-Dixie

Doubtful. The closest 2 Winn Dixie stores are the Causeway store which is perfectly situated at the end of the bridge, and the Covington new store, which isn't going anywhere. WD has surprised me highly recently, though, with the sale of the store in Ponchatoula to Rouses. That's the second closest store to their Louisiana DC. And the Lafayette stores still cling to life....