Retail Watchers

Vons just completed an interior remodel at its Oceanside store. This is a 1995 build store (got a Lifestyle 1.0 remodel in 2005 or so). This now has the Colorful Lifestyle interior. Store does OK business (even with a Walmart in the same plaza).

Albertsons is in the process of remodeling its store on Oceanside Blvd in Oceanside. This store gained business when the Ralphs kitty corner closed. A former Lucky, this store had a Jewel remodel done in 2003.

I have noticed small unremodeled old Lifestyle Safeway stores get new led lighting, and refrigerator doors on the dairy, beer, alcohol, and cheese. There are no more open air refrigerators. However, the store looks even uglier with the bright lights and mismatched ceiling tiles where old light fixtures were replaced.

If the store got all new refrigerator doors, I think this will be the last remodel for a while. When Safeway remodels to the Florida decor, all of refrigerators get replaced. They would not spend so much money on doors if they are going to remodel soon.

Alpha8472 wrote: ↑April 14th, 2022, 6:41 pm I have noticed small unremodeled old Lifestyle Safeway stores get new led lighting, and refrigerator doors on the dairy, beer, alcohol, and cheese. There are no more open air refrigerators. However, the store looks even uglier with the bright lights and mismatched ceiling tiles where old light fixtures were replaced.

If the store got all new refrigerator doors, I think this will be the last remodel for a while. When Safeway remodels to the Florida decor, all of refrigerators get replaced. They would not spend so much money on doors if they are going to remodel soon.

They haven't been doing that in SoCal. Most of the recent remodels did not get refrigerator doors if they did not already have them. Any that did got complete new equipment in that particular section. Some of them should have been outright replaced as they weren't in great shape such as Sun City.

Alpha8472 wrote: ↑April 14th, 2022, 6:41 pm I have noticed small unremodeled old Lifestyle Safeway stores get new led lighting, and refrigerator doors on the dairy, beer, alcohol, and cheese. There are no more open air refrigerators. However, the store looks even uglier with the bright lights and mismatched ceiling tiles where old light fixtures were replaced.

If the store got all new refrigerator doors, I think this will be the last remodel for a while. When Safeway remodels to the Florida decor, all of refrigerators get replaced. They would not spend so much money on doors if they are going to remodel soon.

The new Safeway in Reno less than one year old has open air refrigeration for all of produce, the entire yogurt/lunchmeat/cheese aisle, and bakery. Also Safeway did remodel to older Reno location, Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, and to Sparks and none of these cases are closed at those stores either. Also the individual/bulk bagel/roll case in bakery is wide open air like Safeway 20 years ago (really do not like that).

Smiths recently installed real cheap refrigerator doors in all of the dairy, produce salads, deli, etc. stand up cases at all locations. Doors started falling off/handles breaking. It looks terrible.

That is strange that new Safeway stores in some areas have no doors on the refrigerators.

Perhaps, the store that I went to was an experiment. The Bakery area also had doors added. Bagels had glass doors added. There was very little Bakery product open to the air. If there were open air displays, the baked goods were in clear plastic bags.

retailfanmitchell019 wrote: ↑April 12th, 2022, 7:15 pm Albertsons is in the process of remodeling its store on Oceanside Blvd in Oceanside. This store gained business when the Ralphs kitty corner closed. A former Lucky, this store had a Jewel remodel done in 2003.

Albertsons is remodeling the Montebello location. They rearranged the store and im not sure where anything is anymore. They did rename all the aisles with local street names which is kinda neat. Not sure when they are going to finish but its looking nice. I'll have to grab some pictures next time I go. This store opened around 2007 and hasnt had a refresh since opening.

Street name signs are part of the Safeway Modern Decor/Florida Decor.

Jeff wrote: ↑April 15th, 2022, 6:54 pm Albertsons is remodeling the Montebello location. They rearranged the store and im not sure where anything is anymore. They did rename all the aisles with local street names which is kinda neat. Not sure when they are going to finish but its looking nice. I'll have to grab some pictures next time I go. This store opened around 2007 and hasnt had a refresh since opening.

This sounds like a Safeway VONS reset. Did produce expand at all?

SamSpade wrote: ↑April 18th, 2022, 2:00 pm

Jeff wrote: ↑April 15th, 2022, 6:54 pm Albertsons is remodeling the Montebello location. They rearranged the store and im not sure where anything is anymore. They did rename all the aisles with local street names which is kinda neat. Not sure when they are going to finish but its looking nice. I'll have to grab some pictures next time I go. This store opened around 2007 and hasnt had a refresh since opening.

This sounds like a Safeway VONS reset. Did produce expand at all?

Nope. Produce did not expand. Stopped by today and they are adding something in the front next to the Starbucks. Maybe its a floral area (as this is what they have currently there).

Jeff wrote: ↑April 18th, 2022, 7:11 pm

SamSpade wrote: ↑April 18th, 2022, 2:00 pm

Jeff wrote: ↑April 15th, 2022, 6:54 pm Albertsons is remodeling the Montebello location. They rearranged the store and im not sure where anything is anymore. They did rename all the aisles with local street names which is kinda neat. Not sure when they are going to finish but its looking nice. I'll have to grab some pictures next time I go. This store opened around 2007 and hasnt had a refresh since opening.

This sounds like a Safeway VONS reset. Did produce expand at all?

Nope. Produce did not expand. Stopped by today and they are adding something in the front next to the Starbucks. Maybe its a floral area (as this is what they have currently there).

This is a Jewel layout store so it already had a much larger than typical for Albertsons produce area.Strike that- what layout is this store? Looks weird.