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Virginia Beach Stores, Retail, and Restaurants


vdogg

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  • 4 months later...

1 hour ago, likeminded said:

Where'd everyone go?

 

To be honest, ever since the Light Rail AND the arena were voted down (within weeks or even days of each other), I know this board has been pretty dead. The area had a lot of momentum towards progress that pretty much screeched to a halt afterwards.

The arena being voted down was clearly the right decision though. The light rail though was an idiotic and short sighted move to vote down.

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  • 5 weeks later...

A quick question about the state of grocery retail in VB and HR in general. 

  • Aldi recently opened one store and has 3-4 more in the works. Each time I have been, it has been fairly crowded. 
  • Lidl is humming right along with its Norfolk and Hampton locations (have not been past the Indian River Rd/Providence site lately); they are rumored to open in the summer
  • Wegmans is coming soonish to Town Center
  • Publix is rumored to be coming soon (Publix in VB?)

With so many new grocers opening and some fairly new concepts to HR that have opened recently (Kroger Marketplace, Walmart Neighborhood Grocery- yes I know there has been one in Norfolk for many years but the vast majority have opened in the past 2) does anyone know the state of the grocery retail market? I wonder how much pain this is causing some of the more traditional and established players (Food Lion and Farm Fresh to be precise). I have never been a fan of Farm Fresh and would actually not shed one tear to see it be taken over by Publix or some other brand. Its parent company is in bad shape. Food Lion is pretty sad as well but now that they have merged with Giant, I think they are safe for now. I just don't understand how all these new places can open and the ones that are here can survive. Harris Teeter still seems to be thriving in the almost luxury grocer niche. Anyone have any inside scoops?

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8 hours ago, JPN0731 said:

A quick question about the state of grocery retail in VB and HR in general. 

  • Aldi recently opened one store and has 3-4 more in the works. Each time I have been, it has been fairly crowded. 
  • Lidl is humming right along with its Norfolk and Hampton locations (have not been past the Indian River Rd/Providence site lately); they are rumored to open in the summer
  • Wegmans is coming soonish to Town Center
  • Publix is rumored to be coming soon (Publix in VB?)

With so many new grocers opening and some fairly new concepts to HR that have opened recently (Kroger Marketplace, Walmart Neighborhood Grocery- yes I know there has been one in Norfolk for many years but the vast majority have opened in the past 2) does anyone know the state of the grocery retail market? I wonder how much pain this is causing some of the more traditional and established players (Food Lion and Farm Fresh to be precise). I have never been a fan of Farm Fresh and would actually not shed one tear to see it be taken over by Publix or some other brand. Its parent company is in bad shape. Food Lion is pretty sad as well but now that they have merged with Giant, I think they are safe for now. I just don't understand how all these new places can open and the ones that are here can survive. Harris Teeter still seems to be thriving in the almost luxury grocer niche. Anyone have any inside scoops?

Plenty of change is coming to the grocery sector. Lidl and Aldi on their own have the potential to upend the retail grocery landscape. Honestly I do not know how Farm Fresh has continued to survive as long as it has and wonder if Publix will take them over in the same way Publix recently took over the Richmond Martin's stores. Food Lion has been losing market share for years (shrinking demographic), and retail analysts think that they will bear the brunt of all the grocery changes. Wegmans brings in some staggering revenue numbers so they will siphon off business from competitors. Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger which may be challenged by Publix and Wegmans. Kroger has the financial resources to stay in the game so we will probably see them refurbish their stores to compete. Walmart Neighborhood groceries do not pull in the big revenue numbers and may be vulnerable to Aldi. In addition, Warren Buffett divested himself of all Walmart stock in a signal that he does not see the strength in the retail sector and approaching competition. The US is way overbuilt in retail square footage so casualties are coming.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/02/15/a-first-look-at-how-german-grocer-lidl-plans-to-conquer-the-u-s-market/?utm_term=.2241744b5884

http://www.valueline.com/Stocks/Highlights/SWOT_Analysis__The_Kroger_Company.aspx#.WKmoIvnyvIU

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Markets/Aldi-s-1.6bn-investment-a-wise-one-says-Kantar-Retail-analyst

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I don't know whatever happened to the new CFA that was supposed to be built next to the Chartway FCU branch on VB Blvd.  Some site prep work was done and now nothing...though I went thru the double-drive through location not too long ago and they confirmed that it was supposed to be built there and they would be relocating.

In other news, I drove by Pembroke this morning and noticed a crane and some other heavy equipment on the side by Kohl's where the Uptown Alley has been being promised for months now.  I wonder if site work is finally beginning?

 

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The original Pilot article says CFA would open in the 3rd quarter. Hopefully the city is working with them and pushing a nice urbanesque building instead of the regular facade. I can only surmise the crane would indeed be for the uptown alley. I'm looking forward to them opening here.

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On 2/21/2017 at 4:17 PM, vdogg said:

Look, I like food as much as the next person, but I think we have enough grocery stores now. :lol: Hoping to hear of some other retailers announced. Town Center seems to be doing very good. Hopefully we expand on that.

This seems to answer my earlier question.

http://pilotonline.com/business/consumer/why-are-so-many-grocery-stores-coming-to-virginia-beach/article_511e1b1b-ca02-546e-b152-6c5d1eece911.html

Of particular note: "

For customers, the influx of new stores means more shopping options. The competition could mean better service, lower prices or shopping features such as cafes or specialty wine sections, said ODU economics professor Mahesh Gopinath.

More stores is also a good sign for the region's economy, the professor said. Stores migrate toward markets where there are enough people with incomes to support the operation."

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On 2/28/2017 at 0:54 PM, likeminded said:

I don't know whatever happened to the new CFA that was supposed to be built next to the Chartway FCU branch on VB Blvd.  Some site prep work was done and now nothing...though I went thru the double-drive through location not too long ago and they confirmed that it was supposed to be built there and they would be relocating.

In other news, I drove by Pembroke this morning and noticed a crane and some other heavy equipment on the side by Kohl's where the Uptown Alley has been being promised for months now.  I wonder if site work is finally beginning?

 

There is a permit pulled for exterior work to the mall but I drove by Monday and didn't see any evidence of construction yet. There are also some documents indicating Coastal Edge might be relocating to the area where Home Goods was rumored (former Jason's Deli) - and the document called it "former Home Goods".  I would suspect that the two are for the same project and not the Uptown Alley. 

IMG_5413.PNG

IMG_5414.PNG

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  • 4 weeks later...

There is definitely construction going on at the front of Pembroke Mall now.  It certainly does appear that the Coastal Edge has relocated and is expanding to add a new store front.  I guess this means Home Good is not coming to Pembroke at all.

In other news, there is still absolutely no indication that any work has begun on the Uptown Alley.  I really wish that project would come to fruition.  Furthermore, the area right next to the Chartway FCU at the intersection of VB Blvd and Kellam, where site work had begun for what was supposed to be a new CFA to replace the nearby double drive thru, appears to have come to a stop.  The zoning signs have been removed and nothing is happening at all.  :(

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Is it possible the 'site work' was just the demo of the old building?  When that work was being done they had not even gotten the zoning approval from the city.  I'm confident it will happen but I can wait patiently as they will probably use the horrid drive-thru model they have in place at the other locations.  My CFA consumption has plummeted since they redid all the other drive-thrus.

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In my experience, they've improved wait times at the drive-through as well as the total experience as a dine-in customer.  The one on Monticello is beautiful. The double drive-through at Hilltop works flawlessly, especially when they have the iPads out there.  They never miss my order, and I seem to fly through the line. One person working each line outside while the interior staff do their jobs flawlessly. There is not a single fast food restaurant in existence that has a better staff to customer ratio.  I'll take them any day over any other.

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Pembroke Mall:  Per owner, they are relocating the service court and creating a new entrance for Coastal. Eventually, once negotiations are complete with a SW junior anchor, the mall's footprint will be enlarged and a new façade will be created. This for the space between DSW and Old Navy. That would be the old Jason's Deli area. Finally, Uptown Alley talks have stalled. Owner looking for alternative national entertainment options. 

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