Safeway NorCal Remodels and New Stores

[Alpha8472]

The San Ramon, California Safeway appears to be getting the Ultra Premium decor used at Pavilions. There are no Pavilions in Northern California, so this Safeway will be a Pavilions in everything but name.

[retailfanmitchell019]

The San Ramon, California Safeway appears to be getting the Ultra Premium decor used at Pavilions. There are no Pavilions in Northern California, so this Safeway will be a Pavilions in everything but name.

San Ramon is a wealthy area (with average household income almost $200,000), so the Pavilions interior makes sense for this store.

Vons Temescal Canyon floor was not replaced despite it already showing multiple areas of cracking. It's only gotten worse now especially on the north side entrance where they took a small rectangular section of the floor during the remodel & replaced it with faux wood. It did get an all new extensive bakery area in the rear north section of the store with a large custom cake display. Added Starbucks kiosk. They also increased self checkout from 4 to 6. This store looked the best of the three I am listing before its remodel & still does.

Sun City got the most extensive remodel & needed it. It had not seen a remodel or any update at all this century. There were missing parts of tiles right down to the concrete. I would be surprised if people weren't injured in the store over the years. This store got all new flooring, a small but brand new service meat counter, new meat & frozen equipment but they didn't take out the low false ceiling over the produce & pharmacy area or replace the failing beer coolers. All of their new carts are showing signs of rust. Never seen this at any Vons, Albertsons or Pavilions. They close the west store entrance at 6 pm which I've never seen so early in any other supermarket (homeless isn't an issue in the area.). No Starbucks or self-checkout were added but, for now, the area is more senior oriented. 1000 new homes are being built a few blocks away on the other side of I-215, though.

All three locations have increased traffic since their remodels - especially Temescal Canyon. But there are many new homes nearby and more coming.

None of these locations got any sort of attention to their exteriors beyond slurry & restriping the parking lots (Temescal Canyon did not even get that). Sun City could use parking lot lighting upgrades.

The Vons in Temescal Valley looks to be a 10 year old store. This one has a Vons gas station in the parking lot. I can imagine this one is very profitable, being the only store for a few miles, and being right off I-15.

I think the Vons in Sun City might be a former Safeway (as an interior sign says "Serving Sun City Since 1989). That was the year Vons bought Safeway's SoCal division. That store had the Safeway mid-90's interior before this remodel.

[CalItalian]

The San Ramon, California Safeway appears to be getting the Ultra Premium decor used at Pavilions. There are no Pavilions in Northern California, so this Safeway will be a Pavilions in everything but name.

San Ramon is a wealthy area (with average household income almost $200,000), so the Pavilions interior makes sense for this store.

Vons Temescal Canyon floor was not replaced despite it already showing multiple areas of cracking. It's only gotten worse now especially on the north side entrance where they took a small rectangular section of the floor during the remodel & replaced it with faux wood. It did get an all new extensive bakery area in the rear north section of the store with a large custom cake display. Added Starbucks kiosk. They also increased self checkout from 4 to 6. This store looked the best of the three I am listing before its remodel & still does.

Sun City got the most extensive remodel & needed it. It had not seen a remodel or any update at all this century. There were missing parts of tiles right down to the concrete. I would be surprised if people weren't injured in the store over the years. This store got all new flooring, a small but brand new service meat counter, new meat & frozen equipment but they didn't take out the low false ceiling over the produce & pharmacy area or replace the failing beer coolers. All of their new carts are showing signs of rust. Never seen this at any Vons, Albertsons or Pavilions. They close the west store entrance at 6 pm which I've never seen so early in any other supermarket (homeless isn't an issue in the area.). No Starbucks or self-checkout were added but, for now, the area is more senior oriented. 1000 new homes are being built a few blocks away on the other side of I-215, though.

All three locations have increased traffic since their remodels - especially Temescal Canyon. But there are many new homes nearby and more coming.

None of these locations got any sort of attention to their exteriors beyond slurry & restriping the parking lots (Temescal Canyon did not even get that). Sun City could use parking lot lighting upgrades.

The Vons in Temescal Valley looks to be a 10 year old store. This one has a Vons gas station in the parking lot. I can imagine this one is very profitable, being the only store for a few miles, and being right off I-15.

I think the Vons in Sun City might be a former Safeway (as an interior sign says "Serving Sun City Since 1989). That was the year Vons bought Safeway's SoCal division. That store had the Safeway mid-90's interior before this remodel.

I posted the pictures on Yelp of both locations remodels earlier this year.

Temescal Valley Vons was opened in 2009. But it says serving Corona Since 1993 in the store. Many homes have been, are being built on the eastern side of I-15 & a new large new housing development is about to start just south of this store on the same street as this Vons. https://yelp.to/oByQzkOaZlb

I wish I had taken pics of the craters in the Sun City Vons flooring just before the remodel. They got worse than what others posted a few years ago on Yelp. I am not sure of the history of this store. The interior of the store, the lowered false ceilings in the bakery, produce & pharmacy area are exactly as the now demolished Marina style Safeway turned Vons in West L.A. at Santa Monica & Barrington. Same interior style decor before the recent remodel which the WLA store got in the early to mid 90's.
https://yelp.to/WEshcyu9Ylb

[Bluelightspecial]

The issue is with Safeway/Albertsons remodels is that some are done so on the cheap that they look worse after the remodel. The Sun City remodel I actually think looks better than the Temescal Canyon one probably because it never received a Lifestyle remodel previously. It received the cursive graphics while Temescal Canyon was just repainted. It seems in SoCal, the Vons that have received the "Florida" decor package look done so cheaply. I went to the Torrance store they recently remodeled. It looked terrible. They beige tile in the service departments don't match with the neon colors on the soffits. The floor tile was not replaced and is pealing and looks terrible. I hope they do better in Northern California.

[Alpha8472]

The Ultra Premium "Pavilions" decor being introduced into Northern California is being done very thoroughly. The stores are getting new floors, new refrigerator cases, new checkstands, and new ceiling tiles. It looks so much better than the Florida decor. Perhaps the Pavilions decor will be the new decor for Northern California.

I have heard that there is another version of the Ultra Premium Decor in Hawaii. It is the Ultra Premium decor with Hawaiian themes added.

There are many rich areas where this decor can rival the upscale environment of Whole Foods.

[ClownLoach]

The Ultra Premium "Pavilions" decor being introduced into Northern California is being done very thoroughly. The stores are getting new floors, new refrigerator cases, new checkstands, and new ceiling tiles. It looks so much better than the Florida decor. Perhaps the Pavilions decor will be the new decor for Northern California.

I have heard that there is another version of the Ultra Premium Decor in Hawaii. It is the Ultra Premium decor with Hawaiian themes added.

There are many rich areas where this decor can rival the upscale environment of Whole Foods.

The Hawaii store is in Waipahu which is across the street from the outlet mall on Oahu. It is about a two year old store in a former Sports Authority and opened with the Pavilions decor. The pictures I've seen had subtle Hawaiian messages similar to the other Hawaii Safeway stores. Most of those are dumps. I went to a store a few years ago near a Target and Whole Foods on Oahu, can't remember the name of the town but it had 1980s Safeway decor with modern aisle markers and was in horrible shape.

[Bluelightspecial]

Waipahu is not the best area of Oahu. The decor I've seen in the remodel Safeways in Hawaii are similar but not completely the same as the Pavilion decor.

[Alpha8472]

I can describe the atmosphere inside of the Safeway in San Ramon being remodeled as electric. There are dozens of construction workers working every night at an incredible pace to transform the store. They are putting up walls where there were none the night before. The floors are being totally replaced with new higher quality tiles. There is some sort of Floral shop with walls being created.

The customers are asking how long the remodeling will take. An employee said it will end around February. This is the first high end remodel for all of Northern California. This will be the new Flagship Safeway store. The old Flagship in Dublin is the forgotten sibling now.

[magowan]

Encinitas Vons just redone last month from Phase 1 Lifestyle - and got the cursive font colorful Lifestyle - not the seemingly more recent stark Florida package. Floors being torn up not clear what the end result will be but ceiling still the distinct soft Lifestyle beige.

That Encinitas store is more of a downscale shopper and very close to a busy Ralph’s but rarely busy so was surprised it even got remodeled.

To make that more strange the Solana Beach Vons down the road got the seemingly newer Florida package at some point with concrete floors but kept the lifestyle beige ceiling. Very upscale clientele for this one, usually well trafficked.

Any other Socal remodels get cursive instead of Florida this year?

The Vons on North El Camino Real in Carlsbad (near Highway 78) got Colorful Lifestyle this year. It previously had the 2004 Lifestyle interior.
The Albertsons on Melrose Dr in Vista also got Colorful Lifestyle earlier this year. It was remodeled out of the 21 year old Blue & Green Awnings interior. That interior dates back to when Albertsons bought this store from Lucky (Albertsons remodeled it after the marriage with Lucky).
Then there is the Wildomar Albertsons I mentioned in another topic. That is a 2002 build store that got remodeled into Colorful Lifestyle.
The Downey Albertsons also got Colorful Lifestyle. I'm sure this was the last Albertsons to be built in Los Angeles County (built in 2005). It previously had the Industrial Circus interior.

Thanks for the update - sounds like they're either more actively differentiating packages by affluence of the local market or retiring Florida from Socal altogether

Not impressed with what I see of the upscale Pavilions decor that may be rolling out at the flagship San Ramon store

The example I see in Scottsdale has that "made in Boise" kind of faux distressed overly homespun look - think Chip and Joanna Gaines, houses with "live, love, laugh" quotes in frames on the wall.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Safew ... 1!1BCgIgAQ

Not a great look for sophisticated metros like SF, LA

Lifestyle when it debuted had the restraint of well thought and edited design

The 'upscale' Pavilions decor looks like a class of graphic design students at the junior college were asked to make wall graphics

[ClownLoach]

Encinitas Vons just redone last month from Phase 1 Lifestyle - and got the cursive font colorful Lifestyle - not the seemingly more recent stark Florida package. Floors being torn up not clear what the end result will be but ceiling still the distinct soft Lifestyle beige.

That Encinitas store is more of a downscale shopper and very close to a busy Ralph’s but rarely busy so was surprised it even got remodeled.

To make that more strange the Solana Beach Vons down the road got the seemingly newer Florida package at some point with concrete floors but kept the lifestyle beige ceiling. Very upscale clientele for this one, usually well trafficked.

Any other Socal remodels get cursive instead of Florida this year?

The Vons on North El Camino Real in Carlsbad (near Highway 78) got Colorful Lifestyle this year. It previously had the 2004 Lifestyle interior.
The Albertsons on Melrose Dr in Vista also got Colorful Lifestyle earlier this year. It was remodeled out of the 21 year old Blue & Green Awnings interior. That interior dates back to when Albertsons bought this store from Lucky (Albertsons remodeled it after the marriage with Lucky).
Then there is the Wildomar Albertsons I mentioned in another topic. That is a 2002 build store that got remodeled into Colorful Lifestyle.
The Downey Albertsons also got Colorful Lifestyle. I'm sure this was the last Albertsons to be built in Los Angeles County (built in 2005). It previously had the Industrial Circus interior.

Thanks for the update - sounds like they're either more actively differentiating packages by affluence of the local market or retiring Florida from Socal altogether

Not impressed with what I see of the upscale Pavilions decor that may be rolling out at the flagship San Ramon store

The example I see in Scottsdale has that "made in Boise" kind of faux distressed overly homespun look - think Chip and Joanna Gaines, houses with "live, love, laugh" quotes in frames on the wall.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Safew ... 1!1BCgIgAQ

Not a great look for sophisticated metros like SF, LA

Lifestyle when it debuted had the restraint of well thought and edited design

The 'upscale' Pavilions decor looks like a class of graphic design students at the junior college were asked to make wall graphics

Yuck. That combination of dark lifestyle ceiling that isn't repainted, plus the mediocre strip lights with removed diffusers, plus the scaled down version of the Pavilions decor which is mostly using wallpaper prints instead of actual letters is just awful. I guess we now have the Pavilions-lite package? The original new Pavilions decor does clash in design from department to department but at least the gross majority of it was textured walls and fabricated signage. Because of the numerous configurations of Pavilions stores you would see different design elements between stores. And the quality of signage was excellent - cut hardwoods, hand textured walls on the Patisserie, etc. Along with premium fixtures such as the humidity controlled "misting" meat and seafood cases which I'm guessing aren't present in this Safeway. This is barely a step up from the newer Walmart stores that hang printed foamboard in front of the walls, clipped together with plastic. And I can't believe that they even use the Pavilions slogan on the walls of this Safeway ("A World of Difference"). Were they too cheap to have a graphic designer photoshop in the current Safeway slogan? (Which apparently is becoming "Perfecting The Art Of Fresh")