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Home : Stores
: Vons
Vons
Leading Southern California chain dating from before 1920. Purchased
many stores from Safeway in 1988, giving Safeway a stake in the company.
Safeway acquired the remainder in 1997; Fresno County is the dividing
line between Safeway and Vons operations. Most units are now being remodeled
using a Safeway prototype style.
From an archived versin of Vons website:
Downtown Los Angeles was essentially a small town when Charles Von
der Ahe opened his 20-foot wide Groceteria on the corner of 7th and
Figueroa in 1906 with $1200 in savings. It was a neighborhood store
that catered to the needs of local families, where Von der Ahe pioneered
"cash and carry" as an alternative to "charge and Delivery".
His formula proved so successful that by 1928 Vons had expanded to
87 stores.
Charles Von der Ahe sold his chain the following year, but four years
later, despite the Depression, two of his sons, Ted and Wil, re-started
Vons. Its growth and innovation over the next 70 years was non-stop.
In 1948 the brothers opened their most ambitious store at the corner
of Santa Barbara and Crenshaw. Thanks to the introduction of pre-packaged
perishables, they were able to offer some of the first self-service
produce, meat and Deli departments. This milestone marked the advent
of the first true supermarkets as we know them today.
The most explosive growth occurred during the 1970's when Vons branched
out to 159 stores with 16,000 employees, making it firmly the #1 grocery
retailer in Southern California. Today the Vons operation, which includes
Pavilions stores, is now a part of the Safeway family of companies.
Vons stretches from San Diego to Fresno, from Clark County, Nevada
to the Pacific. It's 325 stores serve millions of Southern Californians
and Nevadans.
Los Angeles CA
Promotional Photo |
Los Angeles CA
Promotional Photo |
Los Angeles CA
Promotional Photo |
Los Angeles CA
Dick Whittington Collection, UCLA |
6921 La Tijera Blvd.,
Los Angeles CA |
6921 La Tijera Blvd.,
Los Angeles CA |
Imperial Hwy.,
Lakewood CA |
3118 S. Sepulveda Blvd.,
Los Angeles |
Fresno CA |
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