Price Chopper/Market 32

[BillyGr]

Price Chopper has put two more stores on the, erm, chopping block...

Lee, MA


Glens Falls, NY

The Glens Falls one got picked up locally, but apparently Lee is a bit outside the market (though all the stations cover some Berkshire stories).

Glens Falls does have that "other" store nearby as hinted in the last post, so that may be one reason for not keeping it. 
The Lee one, on the other hand, is not that close to their other stores but is definitely on the small side and perhaps either the new Big Y (just off Exit 2 of the Pike) has been hurting sales or they just can't find a good spot to build a larger store (since there isn't a lot of space where it is to enlarge)?
Of course, they did the same thing in North Adams a year or so ago (closing a smaller store with no space to enlarge and not looking for a new site) as well, but then they have kept (and already re-done) a couple of the smaller stores right in Albany, so they aren't completely getting out of the older locations.

Kind of hard to figure out the overall plans with the MA locations, this would leave just 3 remaining stores on the Berkshire side (2 around Pittsfield, both of which are newer or already remodeled) and one in Great Barrington (older but still fairly good sized).

[retailisking]

Is this the usual haggling, or could Hannaford be waiting in the wings to swoop in? Their closest store is some twenty-odd miles away in Bennington, and the only in-town competition is Shaw's.

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/price-chopper-manchester-store-replacement-on-hold,519063

[giantsfan2016]

Here's the 86,000 Square Foot Bristol, Connecticut location in The Bristol Commons Plaza. It opened in January 2004 in space that started as WT Grants then Caldor then very briefly Big KMART. The landlord didn't allow them to make a lot of changes to the exterior of the building hence why from the outside it doesn't look like the Southington Price Chopper or the Watebury ShopRite (which had been Price Chopper til 2008).

[retailisking]

They gave a parcel of land next their now-closed North Adams, MA store to the city
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/price-chopper-gives-fort-massachusetts-parcel-to-north-adams,525341
And they put up cement barriers preventing a pass-through of their vacant Lee, MA store's parking lot
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/price-chopper-cuts-off-cut-through-route-in-former-lee-grocery-stores-parking-lot,525056

[Scrabbleship]

A few days ago, Price Chopper's Instagram story was at their Newburgh, NY location which had been recently converted to a Market 32.

Given their low presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley (Vails Gate, Poughkeepsie, and Saugerties are the only other locations), I wonder what the odds of converting all three to Market 32 would be. There really is no "higher-end" option and it allow them to stand up against their five competitors in that region (ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and to a lesser degree Acme and Tops) doing the same basic thing.

[BillyGr]

A few days ago, Price Chopper's Instagram story was at their Newburgh, NY location which had been recently converted to a Market 32.

Given their low presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley (Vails Gate, Poughkeepsie, and Saugerties are the only other locations), I wonder what the odds of converting all three to Market 32 would be. There really is no "higher-end" option and it allow them to stand up against their five competitors in that region (ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and to a lesser degree Acme and Tops) doing the same basic thing.

They could probably do so.  Unlike the other three, Saugerties has no competition (one has to go to Kingston for other supermarkets) but that hasn't stopped them from converting other stores to Market 32.

[Scrabbleship]

A few days ago, Price Chopper's Instagram story was at their Newburgh, NY location which had been recently converted to a Market 32.

Given their low presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley (Vails Gate, Poughkeepsie, and Saugerties are the only other locations), I wonder what the odds of converting all three to Market 32 would be. There really is no "higher-end" option and it allow them to stand up against their five competitors in that region (ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and to a lesser degree Acme and Tops) doing the same basic thing.

They could probably do so.  Unlike the other three, Saugerties has no competition (one has to go to Kingston for other supermarkets) but that hasn't stopped them from converting other stores to Market 32.

They wouldn't have much to lose. I would think that much of Saugerties goes down to Kingston (Hannaford x2, ShopRite, Walmart Supercenter, Adams Fairacre Farms) to grocery shop as it is. A hypothetical Saugerties Market 32 would also get a clientele from elsewhere which would not touch the store otherwise.

Two other locations that would be good for conversions would be Great Barrington, MA (nearest location: Lenox) and Keene, NH (nearest location: Brattleboro, VT). Both would have a lot to gain from converting and are bits of islands in the company, Keene more than Great Barrington.

[giantsfan2016]

According to a source of mine at Price Chopper the next two conversions to Market 32 in Connecticut will be Middletown and Bristol. Middletown will probably be first because according to my source they are having "landlord issues" in Bristol.

[BillyGr]

The Price Chopper in Hudson (Greenport, actually) NY closed in mid September.

They have not done well since the neighboring WalMart moved up the road to build a superstore - the building is now partially occupied by small stores (but not ones that draw a large amount of people regularly) but much is used as a non-retail warehouse.

The ShopRite in town will be moving from its current space (built sort of "behind" the Fairview Plaza in the mid 1990's to replace an older Quonset style ShopRite in the plaza) to the now closed Price Chopper (and also taking over the small space between it and the former Walmart that was originally a Fashion Bug). 

ShopRite will also keep the Price Chopper Pharmacy (as they don't have one now) and will open in the new spot by the end of the year.

[Scrabbleship]

Market 32 is coming to a new shopping center planned for Maynard, Massachusetts.

https://cre.nerej.com/colliers-international-secures-68000-sf-market-32-price-chopper/

This is a bit late of a bump, but this past spring Market 32 pulled out of the Maynard development. They are still looking for a grocery store to take that spot as Maynard still has no grocery store to call their own.

At the same time, perhaps to compensate, the Mountain Street Price Chopper in Worcester https://pricechopperblog.com/a-new-must-see-market-32-arrives-at-mountain-street-in-worcester/ Earlier this year, Vermont gained its first two Market 32 locations via conversions in Brattleboro and South Burlington.

The slow and patchwork rollout makes me wonder if this was all a good move for Price Chopper in the long run.

Edit: Brammy fixed the link.

[Bdubs]

Am I the only one that feels this chain is on its last legs? At least in CT, I can eventually see them liquidating and going the way of Shaw’s. I don’t think Ahold wants anything to do with them, but if the price was right, and they could sit on some leases, hey, you never know.

[Joeg]

Shoprite would do itself good if they pick up some locations of Price Chopper, Windsor, Putnam, Middletown, Torrington and Oxford come to mind.

[Bdubs]

I always thought it was strange, Big Y bought the old A&P in Middletown, and decided to do nothing with it. However, now I think Big Y would do much better in Chopper’s current building, which is barely 9 years old. It’s a much larger, modern facility. Aside from Rocky Hill, what’s the closest Big Y? Would be a good acquisition. That store anyway.

[AmesNewington]

Shoprite would do itself good if they pick up some locations of Price Chopper, Windsor, Putnam, Middletown, Torrington and Oxford come to mind.

ShopRite is opening in Cromwell next year, so I doubt they would be interested in the Middletown PC. I believe they were in that lot years ago. I could see Windsor PC being a ShopRite and perhaps even Torrington. What about Newington, Bristol and Southington? I believe these three locations would be better off as some other retailer. I want a ShopRite in the Newington area, but not taking the place of the PC. Always will think of that location as an Ames.

[Joeg]

Shoprite has locations in Bristol and Southington, so they would not pick up the PC Locations.  However Newington would be a good fit because they would have a store in Cromwell and one in East Hartford.

[AmesNewington]

Shoprite has locations in Bristol and Southington, so they would not pick up the PC Locations.  However Newington would be a good fit because they would have a store in Cromwell and one in East Hartford.

I didn't mean Southington and Bristol PCs become ShopRite (I have shopped at both SRs to know they are in those towns), rather other retailer would go in them if PC closed?

[Joeg]

Big Y in Southington would be good, but I don't think they would go into Bristol.

[Scrabbleship]

Am I the only one that feels this chain is on its last legs? At least in CT, I can eventually see them liquidating and going the way of Shaw’s. I don’t think Ahold wants anything to do with them, but if the price was right, and they could sit on some leases, hey, you never know.

I can't figure out why they ever entered CT to begin with, especially given the non-compete with Big Y that keeps Price Chopper out of the Pioneer Valley. It isn't like they've made any waves in CT and their plan to convert all of their locations to Market 32 has stalled.

Their brand is worth something in New York and to some degree Vermont and Central Massachusetts. Otherwise, the fringe areas of the chain could be done away with quite easily.

[Joeg]

I agree, I do not know why they enter CT.  Did not know about the non compete clause about the Valley.  Time will tell.

[Bdubs]

Am I the only one that feels this chain is on its last legs? At least in CT, I can eventually see them liquidating and going the way of Shaw’s. I don’t think Ahold wants anything to do with them, but if the price was right, and they could sit on some leases, hey, you never know.

I can't figure out why they ever entered CT to begin with, especially given the non-compete with Big Y that keeps Price Chopper out of the Pioneer Valley. It isn't like they've made any waves in CT and their plan to convert all of their locations to Market 32 has stalled.

Their brand is worth something in New York and to some degree Vermont and Central Massachusetts. Otherwise, the fringe areas of the chain could be done away with quite easily.

When I was a vendor calling on a couple Price Choppers, there were murmurs of a buyout. But, once the company looked further into their finances the sale fell through. I’m not sure what company that was, but that’s a scary thing, especially if you’re an employee of said company.

[Scrabbleship]

Am I the only one that feels this chain is on its last legs? At least in CT, I can eventually see them liquidating and going the way of Shaw’s. I don’t think Ahold wants anything to do with them, but if the price was right, and they could sit on some leases, hey, you never know.

I can't figure out why they ever entered CT to begin with, especially given the non-compete with Big Y that keeps Price Chopper out of the Pioneer Valley. It isn't like they've made any waves in CT and their plan to convert all of their locations to Market 32 has stalled.

Their brand is worth something in New York and to some degree Vermont and Central Massachusetts. Otherwise, the fringe areas of the chain could be done away with quite easily.

When I was a vendor calling on a couple Price Choppers, there were murmurs of a buyout. But, once the company looked further into their finances the sale fell through. I’m not sure what company that was, but that’s a scary thing, especially if you’re an employee of said company.

Albertson's was the company that kicked the tires of Price Chopper then pulled out of wanting to make an actual deal. The scary thing was that had it gone through there was a fear that a lot of positions would be eliminated at the corporate level which would possibly do some harm to the Capital Region economy.

As explained when this was news, it would have had interesting repercussions in Vermont and Central Massachusetts to name two areas and there probably would be a ton of nameplate-shifting in certain areas too.

[giantsfan2016]

I think the Stop and Shop strike is having an affect. I haven't been to PC in Southington on a Sunday in a long time, but they seemed very busy when we went today. I don't remember the last time I've seen them that busy. They didn't have any full size carts left. 2 employees brought in a row of 8 and they went very quickly. They also had 7 registers plus the self checkout open.

[Jstar1994]

The Newington store was so busy that managers from other regions were helping to stock shelves and help the employees with the higher volumes. As slow as their stores are normally, maybe this will show PC that they should remodel their CT stores and try and retain some of this business.

[AmesNewington]

The Newington store was so busy that managers from other regions were helping to stock shelves and help the employees with the higher volumes. As slow as their stores are normally, maybe this will show PC that they should remodel their CT stores and try and retain some of this business.

The last few times I went to the Newington PC, it was understocked and dirty inside. It usually is somewhat clean, but its hard to tell especially in the produce dept with that tile floor which is the original floor from 14 years ago. Also, there were fewer displays on the sales floor than usual. They seem to have given up.

[Scrabbleship]

The Newington store was so busy that managers from other regions were helping to stock shelves and help the employees with the higher volumes. As slow as their stores are normally, maybe this will show PC that they should remodel their CT stores and try and retain some of this business.

I thought the plan was that they were going to convert all of their CT stores to Market 32 but that plan has seriously stalled. Judging pictures of Newington from Google, if they have kept that decor package (their 90's package with the pastels, but less neon) for this long, it means something must be up. I mean, the nearest full service supermarket to there is Stew Leonard's, the bar is pretty high.

It's like their entry into the market came with guns abalazing - when I lived in Albany I remember seeing WFSB and the Clear Channel/iHeart stations as sponsors for their ski pass - but those guns soon went dead.

[AmesNewington]

The Newington store was so busy that managers from other regions were helping to stock shelves and help the employees with the higher volumes. As slow as their stores are normally, maybe this will show PC that they should remodel their CT stores and try and retain some of this business.

I thought the plan was that they were going to convert all of their CT stores to Market 32 but that plan has seriously stalled. Judging pictures of Newington from Google, if they have kept that decor package (their 90's package with the pastels, but less neon) for this long, it means something must be up. I mean, the nearest full service supermarket to there is Stew Leonard's, the bar is pretty high.

It's like their entry into the market came with guns abalazing - when I lived in Albany I remember seeing WFSB and the Clear Channel/iHeart stations as sponsors for their ski pass - but those guns soon went dead.

I agree with what you said. Back in 2004-2005 when Price Chopper expanded in CT beyond their Torrington store, they came in as an innovative "colorful" competitor of its kind. Then, the major competition in the area was Stop and Shop, Shaw's, and to some degree, Big Y. Also, A&P/Foodmart and smaller IGA stores were prevalent at the time. Price Chopper came in to Newington before Stew Leonard's by two years. So all we had was Shaw's down the street, A&P/Foodmart in the center of town, and Stop and Shop on the other side of town with a brand new S&S in Berlin and the one farther down in Wethersfield. PC's draw was their fancy décor, Artisan Breads, Donuts/Bagels, Café and Buffet/Salad Bar, Fried Fish, etc. that perhaps their competitors didn't have. The Southington store even had a bank, UPS Store and Payless within the building for one stop shopping. They even had a cooking station and other add-ons that all gradually disappeared. So much so that they are now just as plain as their competitors were when they opened, but also now, we have more options like Stews and Aldi, Walmart and Target went in to groceries and fresh food since then, and competitors like ShopRite and Big Y have expanded and managed to offer a number of services PC used to offer. Price Chopper seems to be lost in the crowd at this point. Especially locations like Newington that haven't seen a touch of remodeling since they opened. They do have some good sales and pricing on certain items, but they lag behind in store appearance, selection, and identity. They are stuck between Price Chopper and Market 32. I'm not sure the latter would fit with towns like Newington, Bristol and Southington. Even Middletown. It's a decent place to go if you need to, but I feel they just can't keep up with the current market. It's a shame. Newington is in a prime location.

[BillyGr]

I thought the plan was that they were going to convert all of their CT stores to Market 32 but that plan has seriously stalled. Judging pictures of Newington from Google, if they have kept that decor package (their 90's package with the pastels, but less neon) for this long, it means something must be up. I mean, the nearest full service supermarket to there is Stew Leonard's, the bar is pretty high.

It's like their entry into the market came with guns abalazing - when I lived in Albany I remember seeing WFSB and the Clear Channel/iHeart stations as sponsors for their ski pass - but those guns soon went dead.

The plan is to convert all the stores (not just in CT, but in all the states they operate in) to the Market 32 concept, but even when first planned it was supposed to take several years to do so (8 to 10, if I remember correctly).

They haven't even done all the stores in their home areas here in NY yet, so it's still likely it will happen (other than getting rid of stores that wouldn't work, like a couple in MA that were far smaller than average), just hasn't been completed yet.

Also - not related to the conversion, but the chain - Jane Golub just passed away (wife of Neal, one of the main ones in the company for years) after becoming ill while travelling to California.  They haven't been "officially" involved as much in recent years, but were still well known and often seen at events.

[retailisking]

The plan is to convert all the stores (not just in CT, but in all the states they operate in) to the Market 32 concept, but even when first planned it was supposed to take several years to do so (8 to 10, if I remember correctly).

They haven't even done all the stores in their home areas here in NY yet, so it's still likely it will happen (other than getting rid of stores that wouldn't work, like a couple in MA that were far smaller than average), just hasn't been completed yet.

Also - not related to the conversion, but the chain - Jane Golub just passed away (wife of Neal, one of the main ones in the company for years) after becoming ill while travelling to California.  They haven't been "officially" involved as much in recent years, but were still well known and often seen at events.

They are looking for an outside investor to fund the conversion, because frankly they don't have the resources to pull it off themselves. Re: Jane Golub, her daughter Mona is the company's spokesperson.

[Everything Community]

Current "Price Chopper" supermarket in Vernon, CT that hasn't even received the remodeled on the inside yet!
Opened in December 2004, has had seldom changes since then.

[Everything Community]

Current "Price Chopper" supermarket in Vernon, CT that hasn't even received the remodeled on the inside yet!
Opened in December 2004, has had seldom changes since then.

Here's a very quick sight of Price Chopper in Southington, CT! Now that they have pulled their plug on their store in Vernon, CT, this leaves the supermarket chain with 8 remaining Price Chopper/Market 32 stores in the state. I believe this store seems to be performing well in terms of rating.