Food Depot.. Any Info?

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KMJonOBR
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Joined: 06 May 2009 17:59
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
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Food Depot.. Any Info?

Post by KMJonOBR »

Hi,

This is a question to get a true understanding of where exactly Food Depot originated from and who exactly owns the copyrights to the trademark? All of the Food Depot stores I have researched are either cost plus 10% or a "no frill, no loyalty card, no gimmick" format stores and are all supplied by Supervalu. There is very little insight available on the web other than there are quite few chains that use the banner and are all supplied by Supervalu; however, the brand keeps popping up everywhere.

In Pekin Illinois, a County Market store rebranded to the Food Depot brand and adopted the cost plus 10% format and is too supplied by Supervalu.

In Jackson Mississippi, following the retrenchment of Winn Dixie out of the market, Food Depot opened in a 75,000 SF former Save Rite Grocery Warehouse (in Northwest Jackson) and for about 3 years reused the Grocery Warehouse sign and replacing Save Rite with Food Depot. Prior to becoming Save Rite, the store was operated as a Sack and Save, a Mississippi owned chain which later sold to Winn Dixie. The store operates as a no frill, no gimmick, no loyalty card format and adopted the tag line "The Low Price Leader" while departments like Seafood, Pharmacy, Floral were removed. Bakery was downsized to more limited Bakery and Deli remains a power house. The products are either stacked on shelves (still in boxes) or thrown in large bins and all feature hand written price tags written on orange "Save At Food Depot" paper. The store features a very large expanded meat department and frozen food department. This Food Depot also features an on site gasoline kiosk (still branded Pump and Save, named after the grocery store's former name Sack and Save). This particular Food Depot is owned by a Mississippi based chain of 13 stores (mostly in rural areas) and all supplied by Supervalu. Their other stores operate under the Supervalu owned Sunflower, Save-A-Lot, Supervalu banners. This is their first urban store, their first no frill format Food Depot store and is located in Jackson, the largest city as well as Capital City of Mississippi.

In October 2011, the owners of the above mentioned Food Depot store, purchased a 56,000 SF 2 year vacant former Albertsons (later Brookshires) grocery store also in Jackson (South Jackson) for their second Food Depot store. The store had to under go extensive renovations to repair a shifted foundation and replace equipment, shelving and checkstands. After extensive renovations, Jackson's second Food Depot store, opened to great fanfare with sales reported over $100 grand per day. This store was built in 1997 as Albertsons, became a part of Texas based Brookshires chain in 2002 and closed in 2010 after Brookshires pulled out of Mississippi. Following the closure of Brookshires, the store was gutted down to just 4 walls. Like their North Jackson store, the South Jackson Food Depot removed departments like Floral and Seafood; combined Bakery with Deli and replaced Pharmacy with indoor dining room for the deli. The store is a very basic supermarket, also no frill, no loyalty card, no gimmick store. Both stores are very similar to the County Market model and also supplied by Supervalu. This store features a considerably larger frozen foods department, larger meat department, larger garden produce and more. Product are stacked on the shelves, still in their boxes and also features more discounted private label products thrown in large bins. Both Food Depot stores feature more national label products and less store branded products. Both stores emphasizes more sales on national label products. The South Jackson store features an on site full service convenience store with gas (typical of 90s era Albertsons store). This Food Depot store reused the Albertsons street sign with red on white basic FOOD DEPOT lettering and also reused the triangle topped Albertsons gas station sign.

Both Jackson stores are VERY similar to Supervalu's Cub Foods format and features the same tagline "The Low Price Leader." Because of the huge success of the two Jackson stores, the chain also has plans to expand the Food Depot model across the state of Mississippi.

All of the Food Depot stores in the US seem to operate using very similar logos (red channel letters, either all upper case or lower case). As mentioned, all of these stores are supplied by Supervalu and either operate as no frill "County Market" models or the cost plus 10% model. All of the Food Depot stores are very basic stores and seem to operate solidly both in rural settings and more urban settings. The Food Depot model seems to fit well into urban areas, adapt rather nicely to more changing neighborhoods and changing demographics. Although the stores are supplied by Supervalu, the stores have total control over setups, models, arrangement but all have a few things in common: discount oriented, basic supermarkets, very similar logos, all supplied by Supervalu and all feature the same price point (large orange hand written tags reading "Save at Food Depot").

Does anyone know anythng about Food Depot? As I understand it, Food Depot is a relatively new discount grocery model offered by Supervalu for either cost plus 10% or no frill, no gimmick, no loyalty card alternative to County Market.

Any info on this chain would certainly help. I've not been able to link Food Depot back to Supervalu as of yet.

Thanks all
EDEW
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Joined: 19 May 2009 14:19

Re: Food Depot.. Any Info?

Post by EDEW »

Even though food depot stores in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi all would seem to be linked, each group of stores in each of their respective states are owned by different companies.

The Mississippi stores are owned by Potter and Sims foods.

The Alabama stores are owned by Western Supermarkets of Birmingham (Longtime Alabama Local Grocer).

The Georgia Stores are owned by All American Quality Foods.

The GA stores are serviced by Supervalu Distribution, Which was originally Alterman's distribution, which in its heyday supplied over 50 percent of the supermarkets in Georgia, as well as being the supplier for the early K-mart foods division.

These stores typically show up in food "deserts", where other major grocers have abandoned their stores, So most typically are set up in other grocers former locations. With Winn-Dixie having the most vacant stores due to the bankruptcy closings, then more than likely they appear in their old locations, though some old Cub Foods and even the old Kroger superstores tend to be used as well.

The stores in Georgia (except for some older locations) are renovated and very clean, offer top quality produce and meats, although with spartan decor and little advertising. This format was initially designed for lower income shoppers, but as the slow economy presses on, i think there is a great potential for growth.

When the Food Depot opened in Warner Robins in an old Slant Front marketplace store, There were lines just to get shopping carts.

Check out myfooddepot.com (Georgia Stores) or westernsupermarkets.com (Alabama Stores)

No website is posted for Potter and Sims.
KMJonOBR
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Posts: 12
Joined: 06 May 2009 17:59
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
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Re: Food Depot.. Any Info?

Post by KMJonOBR »

There are now two more FOOD DEPOT stores now in southern Louisiana. Piggly Wiggly at 100 Cumberland St in Bogalusa and Trabona's IGA Super Deal at 302 South First St in Amite have both been converted into FOOD DEPOT adopting the "cost plus" format and supplied by Supervalu. Their website is www.savewithfooddepot.com
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