Retail Watchers

Last night I was in Sequim, WA on the Olympic Peninsula. They have a QFC that was built by QFC before the Fred Meyer meger or at least before the Kroger merger. So this store since that time sported a lot of the cedar trim and the big rounded lettering that QFC used at that time. Well, I went in there last night and saw that they partially covered up the cedar trim with some of the wallpaper that they use in the "Fresh Fare" remodels. The wallpaper had decorative trim on top and bottom. Then after that, you would see the cedar trim above and below that. The department signs did not use the old style lettering but used more traditional shaped lettering. Also I remember some of them were purple. They also did not integrate the natural foods into the various departments of the store. But the asile signs were in the "Fresh Fare" style. They did receive new checkstands. Also Seattle's Best Coffee was firmly part of the bakery department. I have been told that at some point, they will probably have a full remodel and that Seattle's Best in the bakery will be a Seattle's Best kiosk.

So they have modified the QFC decor to look more like a Kroger? Is the store in the middle of a remodel or have they just done a few changes pending a later full remodel?

It seems that Kroger is not using Starbucks for their supermarket coffee stands anymore. I know SBC is owned by Starbucks, but SBC offers different flavors of coffee beans and other drinks that you can't find at Starbucks.

Ralphs uses "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf" kiosks exclusively. There are no Starbucks in Ralphs stores and Ralphs of course is only in Southern California. Vons and Albertsons in Southern California all use Starbucks.

Here in Las Vegas, Smith's has one Starbucks kiosk that i am aware of, other than that, its only VONS, Albertsons, and 2 or 3 Targets that have Starbucks in-store...

<a href="http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa11 ... g_3741.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa11 ... g_3741.jpg" border="0" alt="QFC 1835 NE 33rd Portland, OR"></a>



<a href="http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa11 ... g_3794.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa11 ... g_3794.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>



They should call this division the un-Kroger because it is the most different from the other divisions of any.

I no longer live close to a QFC so can't comment on them. However, Starbucks is present in many Fred Meyer stores.

There are more photos at the site host's flickr that were posted recently of a QFC.

storewanderer wrote:There are more photos at the site host's flickr that were posted recently of a QFC.

Yep, it's a new build 'Fresh Fare' store though. There's a remodeled store in Bremerton I may be able to snag before I leave the Northwest again...

The QFC in Sequim was not in the middle of a remodel. It was a completed remodel from the last 5 or less years. But they did say that it will probably get a full remodel.

I've posted some shots of the Bremerton QFC in my flickr photostream. It doesn't have any fresh fare signage, and only has one real indication of its former decor over the deli.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssbn737rm/3450887147/

Is this remodel is sort of like a Fresh Faire decor except there are no Fresh Faire signs?

The floor looks very plain. Usually Kroger likes to replace the floor with large tiles or polished conrcrete in newer remodels.