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Old 11-11-2015, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Düsseldorf
94 posts, read 91,870 times
Reputation: 103

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The coverage by cincinnati.com seems often rather uncritical. Roundy's was practically bankrupt. Why the journalist don't figure out why Roundy's failed? The Marianao's format was reportedly successfull, but why failed Roundy's when it has such an innovative store format? What makes this store format so innovative?

I am pretty sure that it's beneficial for Kroger to acquire Roundy's, but I think this kind of journalism is so superficial, sounds like the PR department of Kroger.
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Old 11-12-2015, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati (Norwood)
3,530 posts, read 4,994,294 times
Reputation: 1929
Quote:
Originally Posted by sebastiannight View Post
The coverage by cincinnati.com seems often rather uncritical. Roundy's was practically bankrupt. Why the journalist don't figure out why Roundy's failed? The Marianao's format was reportedly successfull, but why failed Roundy's when it has such an innovative store format? What makes this store format so innovative?...
In all fairness, the Enquirer probably needed to print such major business news ASAP, therefore it couldn't provide the details of other news sources such as these:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnat...strategic.html

Kroger takes on fixer upper in Roundys deal | Retail & Financial content from Supermarket News

Kroger eyeing urban expertise in Mariano's | Kroger content from Supermarket News
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Old 11-13-2015, 03:29 PM
 
16,361 posts, read 30,070,493 times
Reputation: 25410
Quote:
Originally Posted by motorman View Post
In all fairness, the Enquirer probably needed to print such major business news ASAP, therefore it couldn't provide the details of other news sources such as these:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnat...strategic.html

Kroger takes on fixer upper in Roundys deal | Retail & Financial content from Supermarket News

Kroger eyeing urban expertise in Mariano's | Kroger content from Supermarket News

The coverage in the Cincinnati paper was very similar to what was in the Chicago papers. Since BOTH companies are publicly held, there is a limit to what can be a released prior to the announcement.

Even grocery bloggers had to add the deal information after the announcement.
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Old 11-14-2015, 12:20 AM
 
1,067 posts, read 1,116,591 times
Reputation: 821
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
The coverage in the Cincinnati paper was very similar to what was in the Chicago papers. Since BOTH companies are publicly held, there is a limit to what can be a released prior to the announcement.

Even grocery bloggers had to add the deal information after the announcement.
The Cincinnati coverage was more "Rah! Rah! Kroger's in Cincinnati." The Chicago coverage was more in depth and looked at things from a business perspective.

Bottom line is:

1. Mariano's is doing great and has performed well, but I have a feeling they are no different than Giant Eagle or Publix or Harris-Teeter or Wegman's, kind of in that "it's a little bit nicer than Kroger" space. A Target of grocery stores.

2. Roundy's was a small company and couldn't compete on price; Plus they had too much debt. That's why they were losing money. Pick -n- Save had the same problems Big Bear had in Columbus. (Big Bear was more of an upmarket chain.) They had too much debt and they couldn't keep their prices competitive because they needed high profit margins to pay off the banks.

3. Pick -n- Save was once in Ohio -- There are still stores in the Zanesville area with that name, but they aren't part of Roundy's anymore.

https://goo.gl/maps/ux9SUbV4XY62

4. If Pick -n- Save stores in Wisconsin are anything like the stores in Ohio, they have a long way to go when it comes to aesthetics.

5. Pick -n- Save is THE only mainstream supermarket operator that covers the entire Milwaukee market. Once they're finished Krogerizing them, they will make a lot of money there.

6. Kroger will have 54 stores in Chicagoland before long (14 Food 4 Less; 34 Mariano's; 5 Mariano's under construction; 1 Kroger in Bourbonais, IL). Jewel has 185 stores, which is a mind boggling number. It'll take Kroger a long time to catch up to that.

7. My pet peeve about Kroger is that their bakery sucks (both Kroger Production Bakery and in-store) and their bathrooms are dirty (except in the nicer areas where people are a little more well-mannered). Otherwise, Kroger's a great store.

Last edited by PerryMason614; 11-14-2015 at 12:29 AM..
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Old 11-14-2015, 06:57 AM
 
16,361 posts, read 30,070,493 times
Reputation: 25410
^^^

Have you been to a Mariano's store? I would rather doubt it. Many of the stores are packed all day long.

Most Pik-n-Save stores in SE Wisconsin are like Kroger stores in TN - old and in desperate need of a fresh remodel.
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Old 11-14-2015, 08:00 AM
 
Location: Cincinnati (Norwood)
3,530 posts, read 4,994,294 times
Reputation: 1929
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
The coverage in the Cincinnati paper was very similar to what was in the Chicago papers. Since BOTH companies are publicly held, there is a limit to what can be a released prior to the announcement.

Even grocery bloggers had to add the deal information after the announcement.
I agree with you. Unlike the Dusseldorf poster, I felt that the Enquirer not only provided useful information about Roundy's and Mariano's themselves, but also highlighted the importance of this acquisition for both Kroger and Cincinnati. Nevertheless, I can appreciate the consternation of Chicagoland shoppers and trepidation of Roundy's/Mariano's employees upon hearing such news; only time will tell if this will become a "win-win" for everyone concerned.
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Old 11-14-2015, 10:11 AM
 
16,361 posts, read 30,070,493 times
Reputation: 25410
Quote:
Originally Posted by motorman View Post
I agree with you. Unlike the Dusseldorf poster, I felt that the Enquirer not only provided useful information about Roundy's and Mariano's themselves, but also highlighted the importance of this acquisition for both Kroger and Cincinnati. Nevertheless, I can appreciate the consternation of Chicagoland shoppers and trepidation of Roundy's/Mariano's employees upon hearing such news; only time will tell if this will become a "win-win" for everyone concerned.

Plusses for Roundys:

1. Enormous debt load of buying, remodeling and opening 30 stores is now covered.
2. Capital from Kroger's will allow the expansion of Mariano in Chicagoland to 70 stores.
3. Additional capital will allow Roundys to address issues in SE Wisconsin to stem market losses to Walmart and Meijer's (new entrant).
4. Focus can remain on building new stores and less on how to cover debt and avoid bankruptcy.



Plusses for Kroger's:

1. Instant penetration of the Chicagoland market WITHOUT accepting terrible labor contracts.
2. Access to human capital and a pretty exciting concept (Mariano's)
3. Access to the underserved SE Wisconsin markets.


Mariano's is about a step below Wegman's, IMO, in their merchandising.

One other thing that this acquisition accomplishes is to block the Iowa-based HyVee from expanding into Wisconsin. They are currently in the process of opening about 10 stores in the Minneapolis market.


My posts last night were brief as they were done on my phone which is a hassle.

Here is consumer feedback on Mariano's from the Chicago foodies:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=35196
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Old 11-14-2015, 10:29 AM
 
1,067 posts, read 1,116,591 times
Reputation: 821
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
^^^

Have you been to a Mariano's store? I would rather doubt it. Many of the stores are packed all day long.
I don't buy it. Marianos=Dominick's=Big Bear=Giant Eagle=Harris-Teeter=Publix=Wegmans. They are essentially the Target of grocery stores and they all occupy the same upmarket grocery store space. Giant Eagle is also big on prepared foods and conventional Kroger is still eating their lunch in Columbus. (Giant Eagle Market District stores are 'da bomb, though.) Giant Eagle just opened a store in Indianapolis ... that means the vultures are circling Marsh.

Think about it. Steubenville, Wheeling, Weirton and Morgantown are basically to Pittsburgh like Northern Kentucky is to Cincinnati, and Giant Eagle has no stores there. Those are Kroger markets.

None of these stores rise to the level of say, Nordstrom, because there aren't enough people willing to pay that much for food to support a chain of stores like that. They will pay a little more, but not a lot more.

It Mariano's was "packed all day long", all of their stores wouldn't close at 10 pm. But you are correct, I have never been to a Mariano's, but I have been to enough retail stores over the years to know that most of this kind of talk is BS.

When you people talk about how great some chain in some faraway city is, it reminds me of the old days when people would talk about how great some vaunted department store in some other city was. Marshall Field's had a great mystique when it was based in some faraway city, but when they had mall stores in Columbus you could see it was just like every other store. It was like 1/8 of a step up from Lazarus, which is basically insignificant, but with higher prices.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post

Most Pik-n-Save stores in SE Wisconsin are like Kroger stores in TN - old and in desperate need of a fresh remodel.
When they were in Zanesville and Chillicothe (since closed), Pick -n- Save didn't look very impressive even when the stores were brand new. Milwaukee may be the one city where it makes sense to slap the Kroger sign onto the stores.

BUT KROGER NEEDS TO IMPROVE THEIR BAKERY PRODUCTS. You cannot survive in ethnic cities like Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland without TASTY BREAD!!!

Last edited by PerryMason614; 11-14-2015 at 11:02 AM..
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Old 11-14-2015, 11:16 AM
 
1,067 posts, read 1,116,591 times
Reputation: 821
One more thing about ........ the "beloved" Dominick's

Remember Fazio's? The beloved Dominick's was part of Fazio's. Of course, that was 30 years ago but I still don't remember anything particularly special about Fazio's.

Pleasant Family Shopping: The fabulous fazio's
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Old 11-14-2015, 02:05 PM
 
3,513 posts, read 5,125,612 times
Reputation: 1821
Never been to Mariano's but I did look quickly through their store profile and glad to see that Kroger is buying competency in that niche.

There are a number of places that could use stores similar to that model, from OTR to Wayne Ave. in Dayton to Upper Arlington and even Kenwood (anyone remember the Kroger that used to be at what is now the Kenwood Collection?).

The potential is huge in Ohio for solid urban markets. I am worried about what this will do to the established players in this field, especially the mom and pop shops (Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton is an example, I'm sure there's a good Cincy example but I cannot think of what it would be offhand...).


Do you all think that Kroger might bring the Mariano's name here and run 100% with their brand?

Or do you think they will bring the ideas from those stores here and incorporate them into current/new Kroger branded stores?

Or do nothing?
(I'm hoping the answer doesn't wind up being "nothing")
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