New Albertsons Interior Southern California

[rwsandiego]

Studied this some more and it is absolutely a modern take on the "Jewel" decor from the early to mid 2000s....

I didn't see it at first, but, like you, after looking at the pictures I agree - Jewel Interior updated to a 2024 sensibility.

... The symbols printed on the walls as if they are Tiffany glass are just like that Jewel decor. As much as I think that decor is timeless and very high quality, this does ring familiar and might have been designed to retrofit those stores......

The original Jewel interior debuted in 1997 at the very large Evanston Jewel, located on Howard Street near the apex of Evanston, Chicago, and Skokie. It was ASC's showplace. Funny thing is that store was only three years old when it was remodeled. Much like this one, which you said had been remodeled recently.

I checked a handful of Jewels that typically get remodeled first as well as ones that got a slap-dash Alberstons interior and they either haven't been remodeled into this decor package or they have and the pics on Google Maps haven't been updated. Although not a fan of Albertsons' "Grocery Palace" decor, until this one it was the one of the last chain-store decor that was as nicely and consistently executed. The Jewel interior, the Albertsons "awning" interior, and "Industrial Marketplace" (or is it "showplace?" Maybe "fantasy?") are others that, to me, were well-executed.

... Look at the cow to the left of the meat sign, the rose by floral, etc. It is just like those hanging metal frames in the Jewel decor.

I give them a lot of credit as this is much more creative than anything I've seen them do in the last decade plus. Even Colorful Lifestyle was really just different colors and fonts from original lifestyle and PFH. This is the first one that is all new but pays homage to their best designs. I'll have to go see it in person.

This is worth me making a weekend trip to Southern California.

There's a new Safeway being built somewhere in suburban Phoenix. (Might be in Surprise or Peoria - I don't remember) Given their new AZ stores are huge and laid out like a cross between a Jewel and an Albertsons I wonder if this interior will make its debut here.

[mbz321]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

It's been a minute since I've been in that location (I visited a few days after it opened), but the store pretty much reused all the left-behind ShopRite decor except for a few touches here and there. I think they are waiting to see how they do (the reviews, like most Acme locations, are pretty mediocre and many seem to miss ShopRite) before a more extensive remodel.

[mjhale]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

It's been a minute since I've been in that location (I visited a few days after it opened), but the store pretty much reused all the left-behind ShopRite decor except for a few touches here and there. I think they are waiting to see how they do (the reviews, like most Acme locations, are pretty mediocre and many seem to miss ShopRite) before a more extensive remodel.

I guess it doesn't make any sense to dump a bunch of money into an immediate remodel if the facility you are moving into is serviceable. All they would have to do is cover up ShopRite logos if there were any around and go from there. Isn't there a Weis somewhere in this general area that was a Genarudi's with the Lifestyle interior that Weis left that way for quite a bit until they finally remodeled it? I remember seeing pictures of what I think to be this Weis and it didn't look like it needed a remodel except for the fact that it was obviously formerly owned by Safeway. By the way, this East Norriton Acme started out as a Super G (Giant-MD), correct? The seafood counter looks like it is still straight out of a Super G store.

[ClownLoach]

Studied this some more and it is absolutely a modern take on the "Jewel" decor from the early to mid 2000s....

I didn't see it at first, but, like you, after looking at the pictures I agree - Jewel Interior updated to a 2024 sensibility.

... The symbols printed on the walls as if they are Tiffany glass are just like that Jewel decor. As much as I think that decor is timeless and very high quality, this does ring familiar and might have been designed to retrofit those stores......

The original Jewel interior debuted in 1997 at the very large Evanston Jewel, located on Howard Street near the apex of Evanston, Chicago, and Skokie. It was ASC's showplace. Funny thing is that store was only three years old when it was remodeled. Much like this one, which you said had been remodeled recently.

I checked a handful of Jewels that typically get remodeled first as well as ones that got a slap-dash Alberstons interior and they either haven't been remodeled into this decor package or they have and the pics on Google Maps haven't been updated. Although not a fan of Albertsons' "Grocery Palace" decor, until this one it was the one of the last chain-store decor that was as nicely and consistently executed. The Jewel interior, the Albertsons "awning" interior, and "Industrial Marketplace" (or is it "showplace?" Maybe "fantasy?") are others that, to me, were well-executed.

... Look at the cow to the left of the meat sign, the rose by floral, etc. It is just like those hanging metal frames in the Jewel decor.

I give them a lot of credit as this is much more creative than anything I've seen them do in the last decade plus. Even Colorful Lifestyle was really just different colors and fonts from original lifestyle and PFH. This is the first one that is all new but pays homage to their best designs. I'll have to go see it in person.

This is worth me making a weekend trip to Southern California.

There's a new Safeway being built somewhere in suburban Phoenix. (Might be in Surprise or Peoria - I don't remember) Given their new AZ stores are huge and laid out like a cross between a Jewel and an Albertsons I wonder if this interior will make its debut here.

I'm not sure of any remaining SoCal Jewel decor besides Quail Hill in Irvine which was still untouched when I drove by a couple weeks ago.

[retailfanmitchell019]

I believe the Albertsons stores in Highland (near San Bernardino) and Redlands still have the Jewel interior.

[storewanderer]

That Upland store is as good as a present day new build Albertsons/Safeway. This is the floorplan/model they are using on new stores today.

Come to think of it I don't think they've opened any of these new builds like this in SoCal... when did they last open a new build in SoCal anyway...?

They've opened quite a few of these in NorCal, AZ, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Idaho, a couple in Washington... quite a few is still not much more than a single digit number... but it is more than Kroger opens...

[ClownLoach]

That Upland store is as good as a present day new build Albertsons/Safeway. This is the floorplan/model they are using on new stores today.

Come to think of it I don't think they've opened any of these new builds like this in SoCal... when did they last open a new build in SoCal anyway...?

They've opened quite a few of these in NorCal, AZ, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Idaho, a couple in Washington... quite a few is still not much more than a single digit number... but it is more than Kroger opens...

The most recent to my understanding is San Marcos which someone else posted opened in 2014. I was in that store a month ago and it was in pretty good shape but needed those suspended ceilings in Produce and over checkout removed as they get dusty and are difficult to clean without a professional. Really unique location as they basically divided a road and created a shopping center that is a modern version of a classic old downtown but I think it is a slow store. It has original PFH decor. When you keep heading down San Elijo you hit a large modern Ralphs that is extraordinarily busy as it is across the street from the university, and that makes me suspect they would have to divest this ten year old San Marcos location. Otherwise I believe it is the same exact layout as the Upland store.

There are two others with almost identical layouts both in Murrieta on the East side of town. One is on Winchester with LLC decor that is directly across the street from the foul Vons that is an inexcusable monument to neglect. The other is frequently misidentified as Menifee but it is in fact Murrieta on Antelope Rd off I-215 and currently has Colorful Lifestyle but appears to have been remodeled out of Jewel decor. The two Murrieta stores have the 3 doors including pharmacy, and liquor is in the middle instead of being on the back of Produce. There is also a similar store in Fullerton near the border with La Habra that I believe is of similar age and format, that store also had an Albertsons gas station when it opened that quickly became a different station and is currently a Shell.

Two very similar stores with "reversed" layouts are Carpinteria which in my eyes appears to be an older store completely remodeled and expanded into another suite, and Wildomar. Carpinteria if I remember correctly has the PFH2 decor (gemstones and those cheap hanging signs printed on opaque plastic) and is some kind of environmental test store using new refrigeration equipment with many signs explaining the low impact of the new tech. Wildomar is almost identical layout but is a newer building that appears to be late 2000s and has colorful lifestyle but evidence of whichever format had the "Barn" for Dairy. The barn is still there and has a door above open with the two infamous stuffed Foster Farms chickens in it looking down at the store wearing Albertsons name tags.

[mbz321]

I guess it doesn't make any sense to dump a bunch of money into an immediate remodel if the facility you are moving into is serviceable. All they would have to do is cover up ShopRite logos if there were any around and go from there. Isn't there a Weis somewhere in this general area that was a Genarudi's with the Lifestyle interior that Weis left that way for quite a bit until they finally remodeled it? I remember seeing pictures of what I think to be this Weis and it didn't look like it needed a remodel except for the fact that it was obviously formerly owned by Safeway. By the way, this East Norriton Acme started out as a Super G (Giant-MD), correct? The seafood counter looks like it is still straight out of a Super G store.

Funny enough, a lot of the department signs have the ShopRite's old 'Always fresh, always for less' tagline on them, but I guess it wasn't worth covering up. Yes, this store was a SuperG and there are still a few remnants like the seafood counter and the horizontal wallboard around the perimeter where the department signage is. (Acme also operates out of another Super G not too far away (2761 Ridge Pike, Norristown) which has been remodeled over the years, but I think the same basic layout has remained the same.)

And yeah, Weis was not in any hurry to remodel the stores they acquired, Not that they really had to, as the locations they acquired were relatively modern and in good shape with Safeway's Lifestyle package at the time. They have all since been remodeled and are quite nice.

[brendenmoney]

That Upland store is as good as a present day new build Albertsons/Safeway. This is the floorplan/model they are using on new stores today.

Come to think of it I don't think they've opened any of these new builds like this in SoCal... when did they last open a new build in SoCal anyway...?

They've opened quite a few of these in NorCal, AZ, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Idaho, a couple in Washington... quite a few is still not much more than a single digit number... but it is more than Kroger opens...

The most recent to my understanding is San Marcos which someone else posted opened in 2014. I was in that store a month ago and it was in pretty good shape but needed those suspended ceilings in Produce and over checkout removed as they get dusty and are difficult to clean without a professional. Really unique location as they basically divided a road and created a shopping center that is a modern version of a classic old downtown but I think it is a slow store. It has original PFH decor. When you keep heading down San Elijo you hit a large modern Ralphs that is extraordinarily busy as it is across the street from the university, and that makes me suspect they would have to divest this ten year old San Marcos location. Otherwise I believe it is the same exact layout as the Upland store.

There are two others with almost identical layouts both in Murrieta on the East side of town. One is on Winchester with LLC decor that is directly across the street from the foul Vons that is an inexcusable monument to neglect. The other is frequently misidentified as Menifee but it is in fact Murrieta on Antelope Rd off I-215 and currently has Colorful Lifestyle but appears to have been remodeled out of Jewel decor. The two Murrieta stores have the 3 doors including pharmacy, and liquor is in the middle instead of being on the back of Produce. There is also a similar store in Fullerton near the border with La Habra that I believe is of similar age and format, that store also had an Albertsons gas station when it opened that quickly became a different station and is currently a Shell.

Two very similar stores with "reversed" layouts are Carpinteria which in my eyes appears to be an older store completely remodeled and expanded into another suite, and Wildomar. Carpinteria if I remember correctly has the PFH2 decor (gemstones and those cheap hanging signs printed on opaque plastic) and is some kind of environmental test store using new refrigeration equipment with many signs explaining the low impact of the new tech. Wildomar is almost identical layout but is a newer building that appears to be late 2000s and has colorful lifestyle but evidence of whichever format had the "Barn" for Dairy. The barn is still there and has a door above open with the two infamous stuffed Foster Farms chickens in it looking down at the store wearing Albertsons name tags.

I was the one that spoke about San Marcos, but upon further research, I've realized that the San Marcos Albertsons in San Elijo Hills opened earlier that 2014, it actually opened in 2008 as part of that whole new development, but it was opened by SuperValu under their ownership still. I confused that store with another one that opened under SuperValu in San Diego in the early 2010's, but that store didn't last long as it was divested to Haggen, and we all know what happened after that.

A 2008 opening for San Marcos also makes sense since it does have the first version of PFH. In 2013, Albertsons opened a new store in San Luis Obispo replacing a former Scolari's, and I know that one opened with LLC decor (potentially the first appearance of LLC in the state?) based off of some Flickr photos I found, as well as old photos on Yelp, so I think that PFH was officially retired by the time 2014 rolled around. Ironically that San Luis Obispo Albertsons was also divested to Haggen, and it is now Smart & Final. Most instances of LLC decor that has been used are the first round of Albertsons branded stores that were bought back from Haggen after their failure, as I imagine Albertsons wanted to reopen those stores quickly, and while I like LLC, I imagine it's not that hard to install. A later round of reopenings, involving the Upland Albertsons in question, reopened with Colorful Lifestyle as some of the first stores to open with that interior decor.

[marketreportblog]

Oddly, the new ACME in East Norriton doesn't have that decor.

It's been a minute since I've been in that location (I visited a few days after it opened), but the store pretty much reused all the left-behind ShopRite decor except for a few touches here and there. I think they are waiting to see how they do (the reviews, like most Acme locations, are pretty mediocre and many seem to miss ShopRite) before a more extensive remodel.

I guess it doesn't make any sense to dump a bunch of money into an immediate remodel if the facility you are moving into is serviceable. All they would have to do is cover up ShopRite logos if there were any around and go from there. Isn't there a Weis somewhere in this general area that was a Genarudi's with the Lifestyle interior that Weis left that way for quite a bit until they finally remodeled it? I remember seeing pictures of what I think to be this Weis and it didn't look like it needed a remodel except for the fact that it was obviously formerly owned by Safeway. By the way, this East Norriton Acme started out as a Super G (Giant-MD), correct? The seafood counter looks like it is still straight out of a Super G store.

Yes, as mbz321 mentioned, that was a Super G. That seafood counter looks a lot like Super G, but notice that the fixture is actually brand-new, installed by ACME (here it is fully stocked). I believe the store is currently being renovated, as a sign posted shortly after it opened highlights the new features the store will soon have. Notice that sign actually specifically mentions replacing flooring, lighting, and refrigeration -- something that I'd bet most customers wouldn't notice or care about. My assumption is, because the store began with some Quality Built-style decor, the rest of the renovation will be in the same style rather than needing to redo everything.