Roche Bros.

[retailisking]

This smallish chain of gourmet-oriented supermarkets operates in the affluent Boston suburbs. Roche Bros. also operates the Sudbury Farms chain and will soon launch a smaller format called Brothers Marketplace.
http://www.rochebros.com/

[JimSawhill]

This smallish chain of gourmet-oriented supermarkets operates in the affluent Boston suburbs. Roche Bros. also operates the Sudbury Farms chain and will soon launch a smaller format called Brothers Marketplace.
http://www.rochebros.com/

How many stores do they have??

[retailisking]

From what I understand they have 18 locations; I'm not sure if that store count includes the Brothers Marketplace store or not. There's a rumor going around that Cerberus is going to buy them. No idea if that is even possible with Shaw's concentration of stores in Metro Boston, but the closure of the Medford Shaw's might make that more feasible.

[Scrabbleship]

From what I understand they have 18 locations; I'm not sure if that store count includes the Brothers Marketplace store or not.

That total is current. 15 Roche Bros, 3 Sudbury Farms. Brothers Marketplace would be #19, the planned Millennium Tower location in the old Filenes in Downtown Boston would be #20.

There's a rumor going around that Cerberus is going to buy them. No idea if that is even possible with Shaw's concentration of stores in Metro Boston, but the closure of the Medford Shaw's might make that more feasible.

That would be a probable disaster in the making if that was to happen given how it goes against everything Roche has stood for. Never mind that south of Boston there's the issue of Shaw's still being union while Roche is vehemently non-union or the fact that they would have FIVE nameplates to work with among others.

If Roche must go, there is one chain which Roche's territory fits like a glove: Big Y. Some closeness in southwest Norfolk County (Roche in Millis/Medfield/Westwood, Big Y in Walpole/Franklin) but nothing else and it'd create a formidable statewide #2 chain since Shaw's/Market Basket/Hannaford don't go west of Worcester County. A combine Big Y/Roche could give Wegmans fits as well.

[retailisking]

That would be a probable disaster in the making if that was to happen given how it goes against everything Roche has stood for. Never mind that south of Boston there's the issue of Shaw's still being union while Roche is vehemently non-union or the fact that they would have FIVE nameplates to work with among others.

If Roche must go, there is one chain which Roche's territory fits like a glove: Big Y. Some closeness in southwest Norfolk County (Roche in Millis/Medfield/Westwood, Big Y in Walpole/Franklin) but nothing else and it'd create a formidable statewide #2 chain since Shaw's/Market Basket/Hannaford don't go west of Worcester County. A combine Big Y/Roche could give Wegmans fits as well.

It was a crazy rumor, for sure, and the only thing that prompted me to mention it was Albertsons' acquisition of United in Texas last year. Big Y is a good fit in terms of the geographic reach, and their convenience store co-venture indicates that they're willing to experiment with different formats. Star Market is mostly non-union, right?

[Scrabbleship]

That would be a probable disaster in the making if that was to happen given how it goes against everything Roche has stood for. Never mind that south of Boston there's the issue of Shaw's still being union while Roche is vehemently non-union or the fact that they would have FIVE nameplates to work with among others.

If Roche must go, there is one chain which Roche's territory fits like a glove: Big Y. Some closeness in southwest Norfolk County (Roche in Millis/Medfield/Westwood, Big Y in Walpole/Franklin) but nothing else and it'd create a formidable statewide #2 chain since Shaw's/Market Basket/Hannaford don't go west of Worcester County. A combine Big Y/Roche could give Wegmans fits as well.

It was a crazy rumor, for sure, and the only thing that prompted me to mention it was Albertsons' acquisition of United in Texas last year. Big Y is a good fit in terms of the geographic reach, and their convenience store co-venture indicates that they're willing to experiment with different formats. Star Market is mostly non-union, right?

I thought Star and all Shaw's north of Boston (and the couple in Boston which still are Shaw's) were non-union, ditto all those in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

As for a hypothetical Big Y/Roche combination, I think they have the want to expand in the Boston market but the opportunities to enter have been limited and even those have had issues as seen by Big Y's failed attempt to build in Foxborough. Roche would improve their presence in the between-128-and-495 belt, get them inside 128, and a plum future location in downtown Boston not to mention the ecommerce infrastructure that Roche would bring. Just put some riders in to keep certain prepared foods in stock a la what Ukrops made Giant-Carlisle do with their bakery products and it'd be all set.