In-town Grocery Stores

[westsider28]

On 7/20/2020 at 7:27 PM, westsider28 said:

Apparently a grocer has been found to replace the Save-a-Lot on the Southside, but the coronavirus has delayed the loan approval process.  Assuming the loan is approved, the grocery store could open at the beginning of next year.  Great to hear! 

A full-service grocery store on the Southside should be announced in the coming weeks, and could open within 6 months.  It will be a "well-known chain that doesn’t currently have a location in Spartanburg."  The store will have a hot and cold deli, an in-house branded coffee shop, a butcher, and serve made-to-order pizza.  The former Sav-a-Lot will be expanded to accommodate the store.

Any guesses on the brand?  The article mentioned a location in Charleston.  After doing some research, I think it could be Piggly Wiggly.  I suppose we'll find out soon.

Edited March 18, 2021 by westsider28

[spartanburgh]

I hope they have good security. Theft plagued the last store and I anticipate the same problem will exist if measures aren't taken to prevent it. 

[Skyliner]

3 hours ago, westsider28 said:

A full-service grocery store on the Southside should be announced in the coming weeks, and could open within 6 months.  It will be a "well-known chain that doesn’t currently have a location in Spartanburg."  The store will have a hot and cold deli, an in-house branded coffee shop, a butcher, and serve made-to-order pizza.  The former Sav-a-Lot will be expanded to accommodate the store.

Any guesses on the brand?  The article mentioned a location in Charleston.  After doing some research, I think it could be Piggly Wiggly.  I suppose we'll find out soon.

I initially thought of Lowes Foods.  That is an excellent regional grocery store brand with three stores currently operating in Greenville County.  I think they would also perform well somewhere in Spartanburg.

Another possibility based on the mentioned features could be Harris Teeter, although the Southside location doesn't seem to fit the HT brand.

[gman430]

Harris Teeter is my guess. 

[Greenville Paladin]

8 hours ago, westsider28 said:

A full-service grocery store on the Southside should be announced in the coming weeks, and could open within 6 months.  It will be a "well-known chain that doesn’t currently have a location in Spartanburg."  The store will have a hot and cold deli, an in-house branded coffee shop, a butcher, and serve made-to-order pizza.  The former Sav-a-Lot will be expanded to accommodate the store.

Any guesses on the brand?  The article mentioned a location in Charleston.  After doing some research, I think it could be Piggly Wiggly.  I suppose we'll find out soon.

Quote

It will be owned by a South Carolinian based out of Columbia with more than 20 years in the grocery store industry. 

There is neither a grocery retailer nor a supermarket based in Columbia.  Either the grocery retailer could be an independent owner/operator of a national banner like IGA or Piggly Wiggly, or Spartanburg Herald-Journal could be inaccurate.

[Spartan]

Maybe they're going to being back Community Cash

[westsider28]

14 hours ago, Greenville Paladin said:

There is neither a grocery retailer nor a supermarket based in Columbia.  Either the grocery retailer could be an independent owner/operator of a national banner like IGA or Piggly Wiggly, or Spartanburg Herald-Journal could be inaccurate.

I read that as an independent owner/operator from Columbia, which was one reason for my Piggly Wiggly guess.

[gman430]

11 minutes ago, westsider28 said:

I read that as an independent owner/operator from Columbia, which was one reason for my Piggly Wiggly guess.

Piggly Wiggly would be a let down.  Something like Publix or Harris Teeter would be much nicer.

Edited March 19, 2021 by gman430

[westsider28]

6 minutes ago, gman430 said:

Piggly Wiggly would be a let down.  Something like Publix or Harris Teeter would be much nicer.

True, but I don't think demographics in the Southside can justify a premium grocer. And it wouldn't serve the area well, with products being too expensive (which was a problem with the Co-op, I believe).  IMO, Piggly Wiggly would be great for this area and a huge upgrade from the Save-a-Lot.

Edited March 19, 2021 by westsider28

[Greenville Paladin]

Piggly Wiggly has failed in Spartanburg County twice.  

Spartanburg's downtown needs a supermarket (i.e. Ingle's, Publix).  (Ingle's Markets owns property on John B. White Sr. Boulevard where it operated Ingle's #48.)  If leaders in Spartanburg can get on board with the idea of a supermarket downtown, they could make it work.

[Historyguy]

On 3/19/2021 at 12:21 PM, westsider28 said:

True, but I don't think demographics in the Southside can justify a premium grocer. And it wouldn't serve the area well, with products being too expensive (which was a problem with the Co-op, I believe).  IMO, Piggly Wiggly would be great for this area and a huge upgrade from the Save-a-Lot.

I kind of wish folks wouldn't say things like this about demographics.  Think about it, South Church Plaza backs up on Hampton Heights, will be a stone's throw from the new Mary H. Wright apartments, and you're less than a mile from downtown with a lot of existing and coming-online apartments.  This store will be closer - and likely easier to get to - than the existing eastside or westside grocery stores - or even than the Ingles on South Pine.  The entity formerly known as the Chamber has a lot of data about incomes within a 2-3 mile radius of the site that I figure it has shared with the city and the potential developer, and I bet it is a lot better than people think.  The Southside is a pretty different place than it was when the Sav-a-Lot opened.  I'd also note that the site is on the right side of Church headed out of downtown for folks who live out in Roebuck or Moore, so it's an easy stop on the way home for folks.  

I think the article said that it would have a mix of products at the budget and higher-end of the spectrum, which sounds good to me.  I'm very curious and hopeful about this, since it could very easily end up being my routine grocery store.  I had initially hoped for Harris Teeter and thought from one description that it sounded kind of like that's what it might be, and I'd be very excited if that was the case, but the reference to Columbia and someone with years in the grocery business makes me think it's something else, a franchise sort of situation.  

[Skyliner]

Actually they have good reason to discuss demographics when it comes to retail.  We have seen multiple unsuccessful attempts by grocery brands to invest near the Pleasantburg Drive/Maudin Road intersection in Greenville, which is not far from multi-million dollar residential properties and high incomes.  However, demographic problems in that location and much of the surrounding vicinity have affected the types of businesses that can survive long-term.  This includes decent hotel brands, which have been very successful in other parts of Greenville, but vacated that particular neighborhood years ago.  Weekly rate budget motels seem to survive there, and The Home Depot and Aldi have seen a solid run where others failed.  Meanwhile other communities around Greenville would seemingly be able to support better grocery brands, but for various demographic reasons have been neglected.

[Historyguy]

7 hours ago, Skyliner said:

Actually they have good reason to discuss demographics when it comes to retail.  

I did not say that people on this forum should not talk about demographics, and in fact I said that I was sure that OneSpartanburg Inc. would have fairly detailed economic data about the 2-3 mile area around the proposed site.  I did say that I kind of wish folks wouldn't say things like this about demographics.  I meant the implication that this part of town is essentially poor.  I think it's an inaccurate assessment.  In a town like Spartanburg, we have poor people in pretty much all parts of town, and middle income people in most parts of town.  That's all I meant.  

[Skyliner]

I do not doubt the local chamber of commerce is doing anything and everything they can to convince investors to spend money here.  I do not believe anyone intended to criticize the humanity within the Southside community, but rather to infuse some reality into the speculative discussion about a potential retail investment.  Pertinent demographic elements may include local population size, age, occupation, education, commuting patterns, income, consumer spending, debt, crime rate, recent history of similar investments, competition (if any), etc.

Does anyone think Kroger would consider this market?

[roads-scholar]

19 hours ago, Historyguy said:

I kind of wish folks wouldn't say things like this about demographics.  Think about it, South Church Plaza backs up on Hampton Heights, will be a stone's throw from the new Mary H. Wright apartments, and you're less than a mile from downtown with a lot of existing and coming-online apartments.  This store will be closer - and likely easier to get to - than the existing eastside or westside grocery stores - or even than the Ingles on South Pine.  The entity formerly known as the Chamber has a lot of data about incomes within a 2-3 mile radius of the site that I figure it has shared with the city and the potential developer, and I bet it is a lot better than people think.  The Southside is a pretty different place than it was when the Sav-a-Lot opened.  I'd also note that the site is on the right side of Church headed out of downtown for folks who live out in Roebuck or Moore, so it's an easy stop on the way home for folks.  

I think the article said that it would have a mix of products at the budget and higher-end of the spectrum, which sounds good to me.  I'm very curious and hopeful about this, since it could very easily end up being my routine grocery store.  I had initially hoped for Harris Teeter and thought from one description that it sounded kind of like that's what it might be, and I'd be very excited if that was the case, but the reference to Columbia and someone with years in the grocery business makes me think it's something else, a franchise sort of situation.  

An Ingles supermarket would be successful on the southside but the former Sav-a Lot location is too small a footprint for this chain.  I agree that the southside is a much different place than it was just a few years ago but I seriously doubt it can attract a major grocery chain at this time.  Let's be realistic and accept a Piggly Wiggly or an equivalent and hope that a major chain (Publix?) opens in the near downtown (Northside?) area soon.

 

[Spartan]

Having a grocery store just north or just south of downtown would be huge win for the city.

[Greenville Paladin]

16 hours ago, roads-scholar said:

An Ingles supermarket would be successful on the southside but the former Sav-a Lot location is too small a footprint for this chain.  I agree that the southside is a much different place than it was just a few years ago but I seriously doubt it can attract a major grocery chain at this time.  Let's be realistic and accept a Piggly Wiggly or an equivalent and hope that a major chain (Publix?) opens in the near downtown (Northside?) area soon.

 

If Ingle's Markets plans to build new 72,000-square-foot Ingle's supermarkets, I could see the former Ingle's #48 site on John B. White Sr. Boulevard, owned by Ingle's Markets, and Roebuck as likely locations.  (Ingle's #38 on East Main Street should have a similar replacement store in the plans.)

Publix in Northside could work.   Where along North Church Street could a 28,000, a 39,000, or 48,000-square-foot store with parking garage locate near Wofford College?

18 hours ago, Skyliner said:

Does anyone think Kroger would consider this market?

Harris Teeter, now owned by Kroger, has returned to Greenville.  It returning to Spartanburg is possible.  It operated two stores upon its exit in 2001.

[SpartanBorn&Raised]

On 3/19/2021 at 12:21 PM, westsider28 said:

True, but I don't think demographics in the Southside can justify a premium grocer. And it wouldn't serve the area well, with products being too expensive (which was a problem with the Co-op, I believe).  IMO, Piggly Wiggly would be great for this area and a huge upgrade from the Save-a-Lot.

Moot point by now, but I could maybe have seen a Harris-Teeter or even Publix moving into the old Save-A-Lot.  They both build urban locations (two Harris-Teeters are near Downtown Greenville, possibly at least one of them near some lower-income neighborhoods and housing), and Harris-Teeter had two successful locations through the early 2000's (the Eastside one was open since at least the late 80's).  We probably lost them to one of the recessions around 2001-2002 (never knew why they left).

Slightly OT, but the BI-LO on the Northside will also need replacing soon (surprised that KJ's Market hasn't or isn't going after that one).  Maybe a Publix or Harris-Teeter there?   Or even Piggly Wiggly? (That whole strip also needs a facelift; it's been the same facade and parking lot since 1988 with Community Cash being there a year before converting to BI-LO).

Edited March 23, 2021 by SpartanBorn&Raised

[westsider28]

Here's an article on the City website about the effort to bring a grocery store to the Southside.  It references positive changes in the area lately, but makes the point that big chains still thought it was too risky.  Also, the City will be making a public investment in the grocery store in the form of a loan.

The point I was making is similar: the major chains only look at the numbers.  Due to the destructive legacy of urban renewal, the Southside is home to the largest concentration of public housing in the City.  Since residents must have a low income to live there, that by definition makes a large portion of the area relatively poor, which deters investment by major chains.  This is a nationwide issue and results in many food deserts. 

I'm a huge believer in Spartanburg, and these residents deserve a grocery store, so I support the City's investment here.  And I think that the strength of downtown, Hampton Heights, and commuters will help make the grocery store a success and allow it to provide a much-needed resource for the community.  I am also proud of the City for literally putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to equity.

(As for a possible major chain location in the future, I believe the County Admin site will be a prime spot once the new City/County building is complete and that site is vacated.  Proximity to downtown and Northside, plus the same heavy commuter traffic on Church make it perfect, IMO.  Especially by ~2026, when it will come available.)

[Greenville Paladin]

2 hours ago, SpartanBorn&Raised said:

Moot point by now, but I could maybe have seen a Harris-Teeter or even Publix moving into the old Save-A-Lot.  They both build urban locations (two Harris-Teeters are near Downtown Greenville, possibly at least one of them near some lower-income neighborhoods and housing), and Harris-Teeter had two successful locations through the early 2000's (the Eastside one was open since at least the late 80's).  We probably lost them to one of the recessions around 2001-2002 (never knew why they left).

Slightly OT, but the BI-LO on the Northside will also need replacing soon (surprised that KJ's Market hasn't or isn't going after that one).  Maybe a Publix or Harris-Teeter there?   Or even Piggly Wiggly? (That whole strip also needs a facelift; it's been the same facade and parking lot since 1988 with Community Cash being there a year before converting to BI-LO).

Harris Teeter stagnated in new store development.  It sold off stores to BI-LO and Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company and closed others.

BI-LO #5265 has not been a busy store location.  Up Asheville Highway, Ingle's #37 is constantly busy.

North Town is up for significant redevelopment.  It could be considered in conjunction with a strategic plan for the Asheville Highway corridor.  The mixed use development planned between University of South Carolina Upstate and Business 85 will help increase the number of residences and increase income levels.

[Greenville Paladin]

2 hours ago, westsider28 said:

Here's an article on the City website about the effort to bring a grocery store to the Southside.  It references positive changes in the area lately, but makes the point that big chains still thought it was too risky.  Also, the City will be making a public investment in the grocery store in the form of a loan.

The point I was making is similar: the major chains only look at the numbers.  Due to the destructive legacy of urban renewal, the Southside is home to the largest concentration of public housing in the City.  Since residents must have a low income to live there, that by definition makes a large portion of the area relatively poor, which deters investment by major chains.  This is a nationwide issue and results in many food deserts. 

I'm a huge believer in Spartanburg, and these residents deserve a grocery store, so I support the City's investment here.  And I think that the strength of downtown, Hampton Heights, and commuters will help make the grocery store a success and allow it to provide a much-needed resource for the community.  I am also proud of the City for literally putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to equity.

(As for a possible major chain location in the future, I believe the County Admin site will be a prime spot once the new City/County building is complete and that site is vacated.  Proximity to downtown and Northside, plus the same heavy commuter traffic on Church make it perfect, IMO.  Especially by ~2026, when it will come available.)

Any food retailer considers risks when considering a new store location.  Considerations beyond numbers exist.

The article mentioned, "The grocery business is highly competitive, and, weighing all factors with great scrutiny, chains tend to be cautious – that’s why they city is working with an individual franchisee willing to take risk rather than an established, corporate-run chain. " That is an opinion/editorial.  Chains like Ingle's and Publix are interested in stores downtown.  

The current Spartanburg County Offices, initially Sears, would be the best site indeed.

[westsider28]

Announcement of the new Southside grocery store is supposed to happen at the August 23 City Council meeting.

[westsider28]

Piggly Wiggly confirmed for the former Sav-a-lot on the Southside.  Could open by November.  Excited for this!

[roads-scholar]

19 hours ago, westsider28 said:

Piggly Wiggly confirmed for the former Sav-a-lot on the Southside.  Could open by November.  Excited for this!

It sounds like the strip shopping center adjust its space to accommodate a larger Piggly Wiggly.  A much nicer store than Sav-a-lot, I hope.  

[Greenville Paladin]

Piggly Wiggly has work to do.  If it does not learn why it failed in past attempts, it will fail again.

The door remains open to Ingle's and Publix for a downtown location.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Greenville Paladin