Groceries, Grocery stores, & Supermarkets (Philadelphia, Springfield: refrigerator, living in, floor)

[Carolina Knight]

Kroger has good and well operated stores. I would like to see Kroger come to Philadelphia. Its Harris Teeter division is in Maryland and Delaware. Harris Teeter could enter Pennsylvania easily.

Ahold Delhaize has decisions to make about Food Lion and Martin's in the Richmond, Virginia, area. Ten Martin's stores have been divested to Publix. Three of those stores closed in November. Four stores will close in February. It would be a hard sale to keep Food Lion stores open on extra high prices, lack of necessities, lack of fresh foods and quality products, and customer service issues. It is possible for Ahold Delhaize to exit the Richmond, Virginia, area.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

Lidl will provide an option in the limited assortment/discount grocery segment. A supermarket remains necessary.

Wegman's limited growth and expansion southward into North Carolina will create a mess for it.

I think Kroger, through Harris Teeter, and Publix are the best options to come to Philadelphia. Publix is speculated to expand into northern Virginia and into Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Further reading
Branscome, Jeff. "Is Publix next grocery store coming to Spotsylvania?" The Free Lance-Star. 11 January 2017.

I think that if Harris Teeter makes a move towards Wilmington they may be on the way to Philadelphia & South Jersey.

If Publix does a push up the I 95 corridor, at the rate that they build new stores, then I think that that would indicate that Philadelphia is in their intentions.

It's just speculation at this point, but there's room for someone else in the Philadelphia market. Those appear to be the most likely.

It's also sort of a mystery that Compare Foods, out of NY, didn't go into the Philadelphia market after the demise of A&P took out Pathmark.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

If I read both the renderings and the Curbed articles right, the parking will be in a separate 100k sf surface lot.

And if I understand cpomp's followup right, then the 250k sf figure is for the entire building (which will have workspaces on its upper three floors), not the supermarket alone.

Between the renderings and that info, however, it appears to me that Wegmans is not building an "urban" supermarket but rather found a site where it could operate according to its standard model. Once again, there just aren't that many sites adjacent to Center City where it could do that.

Wegmans seems to combine 2 types of establishments under 1 roof. It would seem that they could make the prepared foods & regular groceries into 2 separate units for urban stores. That would allow for them to go into 2 adjacent or 2 nearby row houses or row storefronts in an urban setting. (Something like Wegmans Foods & Wegmans groceries)

On the other hand, going into a larger property, which they could do between Center City & Fishtown with parking under the store & limited surface parking & space for the trucks would probably be doable.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

It's also sort of a mystery that Compare Foods, out of NY, didn't go into the Philadelphia market after the demise of A&P took out Pathmark.

Looks like a family-run company, and they don't have lots of stores in any of the markets where they operate except North Carolina. All their other stores are in New York and New England, save one in Greenville, SC.

My guess is that there were family members willing to live (or already living) there.

Nice to see they still sell 80/20 ground beef. I've seen it for less than $3.99/lb at a Reading Terminal Market butcher, though. I don't think grocery prices in New York City (I was looking at the Brooklyn location's circular) are that much higher than here.

Interesting to note, though, that the Durham stores don't appear to have deli departments. The supermarkets my folks shopped in Kansas City when I was a child didn't either, but in the more affluent areas, you could find stores that had them.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Wegmans seems to combine 2 types of establishments under 1 roof. It would seem that they could make the prepared foods & regular groceries into 2 separate units for urban stores. That would allow for them to go into 2 adjacent or 2 nearby row houses or row storefronts in an urban setting. (Something like Wegmans Foods & Wegmans groceries)

On the other hand, going into a larger property, which they could do between Center City & Fishtown with parking under the store & limited surface parking & space for the trucks would probably be doable.

Three stores, really: the main grocery section includes several aisles that contain small appliances, linens and other domestic goods, and greeting cards. It's sort of like the inverse of a non-Supercenter Walmart.

If they got rid of those, they might be able to fit a store into a smaller footprint.

I'm not sure that separating the prepared foods into its own physical space would go over well with the shoppers. The whole point is to be able to get all of this under one roof and check out once if you're buying both prepared foods and groceries.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Looks like a family-run company, and they don't have lots of stores in any of the markets where they operate except North Carolina. All their other stores are in New York and New England, save one in Greenville, SC.

My guess is that there were family members willing to live (or already living) there.

Nice to see they still sell 80/20 ground beef. I've seen it for less than $3.99/lb at a Reading Terminal Market butcher, though. I don't think grocery prices in New York City (I was looking at the Brooklyn location's circular) are that much higher than here.

Interesting to note, though, that the Durham stores don't appear to have deli departments. The supermarkets my folks shopped in Kansas City when I was a child didn't either, but in the more affluent areas, you could find stores that had them.

Compare Foods is owned by a Puerto Rican family. They went into former Winn Dixie stores in the Charlotte area. The one closest to me, in Gastonia, came with a huge deli counter. I suspect that they winged it based on the individual store. That's why I've been mystified that they didn't go after Pathmarks.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Three stores, really: the main grocery section includes several aisles that contain small appliances, linens and other domestic goods, and greeting cards. It's sort of like the inverse of a non-Supercenter Walmart.

If they got rid of those, they might be able to fit a store into a smaller footprint.

I'm not sure that separating the prepared foods into its own physical space would go over well with the shoppers. The whole point is to be able to get all of this under one roof and check out once if you're buying both prepared foods and groceries.

Keeping it all under one roof means that there is a lot less likelihood of fitting Wegmans into an urban setting. Unless the kitchen wares etc were on a 2nd floor over the groceries, they'd have to ditch those, too.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Three stores, really: the main grocery section includes several aisles that contain small appliances, linens and other domestic goods, and greeting cards. It's sort of like the inverse of a non-Supercenter Walmart.

If they got rid of those, they might be able to fit a store into a smaller footprint.

I'm not sure that separating the prepared foods into its own physical space would go over well with the shoppers. The whole point is to be able to get all of this under one roof and check out once if you're buying both prepared foods and groceries.

I agree. Few people need to buy cookware or patio furniture at a supermarket. They could also lose the light bulbs, mops, and other non-food items.

I wouldn't separate prepared foods, either. I've bought them when grocery shopping, and I wouldn't want to go through a second checkout for a couple of items.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I agree. Few people need to buy cookware or patio furniture at a supermarket. They could also lose the light bulbs, mops, and other non-food items.

I wouldn't separate prepared foods, either. I've bought them when grocery shopping, and I wouldn't want to go through a second checkout for a couple of items.

If Wegmans found a storefront that had been a furniture store or appliance store they probably could do an urban store with prepared food & groceries under one roof. Maybe not as much as the suburban stores, but the non foods would have to go.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I agree. Few people need to buy cookware or patio furniture at a supermarket. They could also lose the light bulbs, mops, and other non-food items.

I wouldn't separate prepared foods, either. I've bought them when grocery shopping, and I wouldn't want to go through a second checkout for a couple of items.

"They could also lose the light bulbs..." That's just what the no-frills deep discounters did. You will, however, find some non-food items at Aldi stores; these, however, are special purchases, often seasonal in nature, housed in a section of one aisle labeled "ALDI finds."

And, of course, they have no health and beauty sections either. If you want toothpaste and bath soap on your shopping trip, your visit to Aldi or Save-a-Lot will be followed by one to the drugstore. (It just so happens that the closest Aldi to me is across the parking lot from a Rite Aid, making this quite convenient.)