Schwegmann didn't sell to KKR in 1995, though they did buy the New Orleans division of National Foods from Schnucks, which was the beginning of the end. The 28 store chain had to have 8 stores divested ("Schwegmann, Schnuck deal OK'd." Supermarket News 12 June 1995), later reduced to 7 ("National sues Schnuck, Schwegmann; claims breach of acquisition contract." Supermarket News 25 Mar. 1996). By early 1996, Schwegmann was phasing out the National brand names and had intended to ultimately rebrand the stores as well ("Schwegmann brand enters ex-National Tea Co. stores." Supermarket News 22 Jan. 1996). However, by late 1996, Schwegmann was looking to sell itself, saddled by the $150 million acquisition fee and debt. The deal with KKR would have them operate the stores and Schwegmann lease the locations back to the new owners. This was when the Schwegmann name entered serious doubt and the people of New Orleans understood that the store was about to disappear forever. (New York Times article
here)
When the deal closed, John F. Schwegmann retired, and two stores were divested: another National and Abbeville's "That Stanley". 22 of the stores kept were large Schwegmann stores, two were larger The Real Superstore stores (one in Baton Rouge which opened in the mid-1980s), and two Canal Villere stores (35k square foot stores from the National family). The distribution center was leased to SuperValu. ("Schwegmann is acquired by Kohlberg; CEO retires." Supermarket News 24 Feb. 1997)
Kohlberg appeared to be turning around the chain ("Reversal of fortune: sales and earnings are both on the rise at Schwegmann less than one year after its acquisition by Kohlberg & Co." Supermarket News 1 Dec. 1997) and was talking about expanding (buying some sites from the floundering Delchamps and mentioning a lone MS store of theirs), but by late 1997, the two Baton Rouge stores (Real Superstore and the Schwegmann, both of which opened in the mid-1980s) were on the chopping block. (
link)
That left Schwegmann with 24 stores, all in the New Orleans area. Here's where it gets a bit confusing--there's another news article that says that Schwegmann closed their Hammond, La store in mid-1998, but the store counter remained at 24. This suggests that perhaps Schwegmann DID buy at least one Delchamps, because by March 1999, Schwegmann had 24 stores. "Of the 18 stores Schwegmann will retain, 10 are in urban areas and eight in suburban markets, the spokesman said. Those stores range in size from 22,000 square feet to 250,000 square feet; the stores being sold average 100,000 square feet, he added." The 22k square foot store seemed to be even smaller than the ones that KKR originally acquired (unless one of the Canal Villere stores was that small--or maybe there was a discrepancy somehow). So in March 1999, Schwegmann would sell six of the 24 to A&P, which would convert them to A&P Sav-a-Center by year-end (keeping the Schwegmann name during the process). ("A&P PLANS TO BUY SIX SCHWEGMANN UNITS." Supermarket News 15 Mar. 1999). In April 1999, Schwegmann decided to file bankruptcy and sell everything, with the A&P-sold stores closing outright for remodeling. And so endeth the story of Schwegmann ("SCHWEGMANN IN CHAPTER 11; PLANS TO SELL ALL 24 UNITS." Supermarket News 5 Apr. 1999)
On Kroger:
An article headline said that A&P bought Baton Rouge Kroger locations, but there's no article. I'm not sure how many they actually ended up getting--there's definitely a former Greenhouse at Airline and Jefferson Highway (southeast, closer to the Tiger Bend side) that's now an indoor go-kart track, but it's probable that it operated as an A&P at least part of the time. The Greenwell Springs store did remain as the last Sav-a-Center store (there was also a Super Fresh in BR now an indoor bowling alley, don't know when that closed either). I also found an article that A&P's first Futurestore was a former Kroger as well ("A&P Futurestores in La., NJ use black, white decor." Supermarket News 3 Dec. 1984), and not just that, but it was also in Baton Rouge--not New Orleans!
BATONROUGE, La. -- Predominantly black-and-white decor and a full spectrum of service departments are features at A&P's new Futurestores, the second of which opened last week in Allendale, N.J.
Pictured on this page is the first store, which opened here last month.
A&P says it plans to open three more Futurestores (SN, Oct. 1, Page 1).
The store here is a former Kroger unit of 34,917 sq. ft., with a selling area of 25,295 sq. ft.
Another article mentions that Kroger had six stores in Baton Rouge ("Kroger and Wetterau in Mich. wholesaling." Supermarket News 28 May 1984), so we've identified at least three now.
On Safeway, Safeway purchased 46 Weingartens and all reopened them all under their own names within a few days. This is consistent with the Houston Weingarten stores becoming Safeway except for one store near the Galleria that remained open until 1986 as an independent supermarket. ("Safeway confirms buying 46 Weingartens." Supermarket News 16 Jan. 1984)
Here's the news article, with a few paragraphs cut for relevancy/copyright concerns:
Safeway confirms buying 46 Weingartens
Supermarket News
Safeway Confirms Buying 46 Weingartens
Safeway Stores has agreed to purchase 46 of Grnad Union Co.'s Weingarten stores and the company's frozen food warehouse here. This confirms a Dec. 19 story in Supermarket News. The deal leaves only 13 of 70 Weingarten units and its 27-acre distribution center unsold. Any stores still on the market were to have been closed by 4 p.m. yesterday. Grand Union also is attempting to sell six stores closed earlier.
Safeway was to have closed the stores Saturday and reopened them yesterday and today under its name. Thirty of the markets are here, seven in southearn Louisiana and nine in eastern Texas. Five Weingarten units here have gone to Rice Food Markets and two to Fiesta Mart, while Gerland's Food Fair has bought four, accoridng to executives at those chains. The others have been bought by independents or are being negotiated for by wholesalers for their customers.
[talks about the increased market share they'll have in Houston]
Safeway's purchase of the seven southern Lousiana Weingartens marks the chain's entry into that market, said Philip Horton, Safeway corproate senior vice president, real estate and engineering. The chain operates units in northern Louisiana.
When Grand Union confirmed its intention of selling the Weingarten chain two weeks ago, a spokesman said the move was being made "to allow us to concentrate our resources in stronger marketing areas.'
Weingarten has steadily lost market share in this area since it was acquired by Grand Union in 1979.
Terms of none of the agreements for the Weingartens were disclosed. However, Stanford Alexander, president of Weingarten Realty here, which owns all the Weingarten properties except the distribution center, noted, "We worked with Grand Union Co. to maximize leasehold and fixture prices. We really achieved what they (Grand Union) wanted in each case.'
Lee Roys Greater, senior vice president of 25-store Market Basket, Nederland, Tex., was negotiating for two Weingartens in east Texas. He noted that inventory was going for its value, minus a percentage for depreciation.
Despite healthy prices for its units, Grand Union is expected to suffer heavy labor-related costs, including at least $8.75 million in pension-fund withdrawal liabilities (SN, Jan. 2, Page 2).
Grand Union employs 3,500 in its Weingarten division. Of these, 500 work from the company's divisional headqurters and 300 from the firm's warehouses.
Safeway, Rice and Gerland's all have said they plant ot keep most Weingarten employes in the units the firms acquired. Each chain has a 30-45-day grace period to decide who to keep on.
A labor source noted the issue is complicated by the fact that workers laid off by the chains within the past year may be entitled to seniority over the Weingarden employes.
The fate of headquarters personnel is unknown A Grand Union spokesman declined to comment on how many people would be laid off. Horton noted Safeway has no plans to take on any management people.
Safeway's acquisition includes seven of Weingarten's upscale Food Markets, a Grand Union spokesman said. Trade sources here estiamted the Weingarten stores' sales had run $120,000-300,000 a week.
Safeway is planning to open eight or nine stores in this area in 1984, Horton said. The acquired units will be remerchandised and remodeled over the next two or three years as part of an overall Safeway remodeling program here.
"This will include new interior decor where needed and upgrading of cases,' Horton said. Many of the Weingartens already have service departments, he said. Remodeling "will be decided on a store-by-store basis.'
[paragraphs that talk about Rice and Fiesta acquiring stores and their plans]
Weingarten Realty's Alexander noted that of the 13 unclaimed stores, nine have been spoken for and parties have expressed interest in the others. All are outside this Houston area. One is a six-weeks-old Food Market in Bryan-College Station, Tex., Alexander said.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1984 Penton Media, Inc., Penton Business Media, Inc. and their subsidiaries.
http://www.penton.com/
Another article talks about the rest of the Grand Union divestments of Weingarten and sister stores, with only one store not spoken for "a new store in Bryan College Station, Tex., as well as the distribution center, is still on the market", which I have OTHER articles that it DID close after a short run of just a few months, though did reopen as an independent by the end of the year. ("G.U. store auction gets buyer interest." Supermarket News 23 Jan. 1984)
However, the Safeway Louisiana stores were sold by the end of 1985. ("Safeway sells 8 stores in La." Supermarket News 28 Oct. 1985)
A Safeway spokesman last week confirmed reports that the chain is selling the eight southern Louisiana stores that were part of its purchase of Weingarten units from Grand Union several years ago.
The stores, part of Safeway's Houston division, are in Lafayette, Lake Charles, Sulphur and De Ridder. They are older, small stores that don't fit into the company's plans, the spokesman said.
Safeway will continue to operate the 11 stores in northern Louisiana it had before the Weingarten acquisition.
And of course, Safeway's ultimate plan to remodel the Weingarten stores they had never happened because by 1988, the whole Houston chain spun off to AppleTree. AppleTree never had any money to remodel, was saddled by enormous debt, went bankrupt, and was pretty much wiped out by the end of 1993 mostly due to a price war.
Those 11 stores remained, and another article mentioning the Little Rock division had 10 stores in that division in Louisiana, but when the Dallas division was sold, that did include three Safeway stores.
[wow, that was a long post, and I almost lost the whole thing!]