Auchan In Houston

[gnu]

Was Phar-Mor also a hypermarket/superstore, or did they just carry health-related products? There wasn't one close to my house, so I never shopped there.

Phar-Mor was more like a Super-Walgreens. All the same stuff walgreens has but bigger and more selection - but not as much stuff as a wal-mart.

We used to take our film there and rent our movies there (since they were cheaper than Blockbuster).

[JLWM8609]

Phar-Mor was more like a Super-Walgreens. All the same stuff walgreens has but bigger and more selection.

We used to take our film there and rent our movies there (since they were cheaper than Blockbuster).

Phar-Mor used to also sell music, videos, toys, small home furnishings, and boxed food products. It was sort of like Big Lots, except it had a pharmacy and more. We used to go to the location in Meyer Park.

[gnu]

Phar-Mor used to also sell music, videos, toys, small home furnishings, and boxed food products. It was sort of like Big Lots, except it had a pharmacy and more. We used to go to the location in Meyer Park.

yeah..I went to the meyer park location too and then I moved to the SE side and started going to the Almeda location.

i think i got a couple of cd's there...maybe Nirvana's Nevermind. Now where is my flannel shirt?

[Dagnabbit]

Phar-Mor used to also sell music, videos, toys, small home furnishings, and boxed food products. It was sort of like Big Lots, except it had a pharmacy and more. We used to go to the location in Meyer Park.

In regards to Phar-Mor at Meyer Park, I wonder why Meyer Park has never re-rented out the space occupied by Phar-Mor. It seems like a prime location right on S.Post Oak next to Luby's.It seems like its been vacant for a decade or more.If anyone here knows why, please share.

[JLWM8609]

In regards to Phar-Mor at Meyer Park, I wonder why Meyer Park has never re-rented out the space occupied by Phar-Mor. It seems like a prime location right on S.Post Oak next to Luby's.It seems like its been vacant for a decade or more.If anyone here knows why, please share.

After Phar-Mor went out of business, another store took its place. It sold music, video games, and toys. I remember playing a Playstation there for the first time in 1995. It shut down around 1996. It wasn't Planet Music which was right up the freeway in Meyerland, but it was similar in name.

[IronTiger]

One of the reasons Meijer probably survives where it is (and bigg's, for that matter) is because they pioneered hypermarkets long before Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart made their hypermarkets en masse, and can't really expand into Houston, because we already have WM Supercenter. On the other hand, McDonald's rolled into the Texas market when it was a Burger King stronghold, and there are least twice (if not three times) as many McD's as BKs in College Station...but Houston may be different.

[Dagnabbit]

After Phar-Mor went out of business, another store took its place. It sold music, video games, and toys. I remember playing a Playstation there for the first time in 1995. It shut down around 1996. It wasn't Planet Music which was right up the freeway in Meyerland, but it was similar in name.

Phar-Mor was sandwiched (although the largest of the three) between Luby's and Sound Warehouse.

Sound Warehouse sold music and movies (rentals as well) and accessories as well as video game systems until they were purchased by

Blockbuster and then the name was shortened to just Warehouse Music.

Could this be the place you refered to?

[editor]

One of the reasons Meijer probably survives where it is (and bigg's, for that matter) is because they pioneered hypermarkets long before Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart made their hypermarkets en masse, and can't really expand into Houston, because we already have WM Supercenter. On the other hand, McDonald's rolled into the Texas market when it was a Burger King stronghold, and there are least twice (if not three times) as many McD's as BKs in College Station...but Houston may be different.

You might be on to something. Meijer opened its first hypermarket in 1962. Target opened its first in 1990. Wal-Mart opened a handful in 1986 (branded as "Hypermart USA," but they ended up closing because it tried to manage the grocery side the same way it did the non-food stores, and it simply doesn't work that way.

One of the original Hypermart USA locations was in north Texas (Garland, I think).

BTW, In Minnesota, the SuperTargets are still branded with their original name: "Target Greatland."

[IronTiger]

You might be on to something. Meijer opened its first hypermarket in 1962. Target opened its first in 1990. Wal-Mart opened a handful in 1986 (branded as "Hypermart USA," but they ended up closing because it tried to manage the grocery side the same way it did the non-food stores, and it simply doesn't work that way.

One of the original Hypermart USA locations was in north Texas (Garland, I think).

BTW, In Minnesota, the SuperTargets are still branded with their original name: "Target Greatland."

Actually, Target Greatlands are not the same thing as SuperTarget. These stores were just really big Target stores (before Target stores just got bigger in general) but were phased out. Now many Greatlands are regular Targets (including one in California and one in Aurora, CO) but some converted to SuperTarget. There are a few Target Greatlands spread out through the US that have not gotten rebranded.

And Hypermart USA was not really the WM Supercenter we know and love today, it was more like French hypermarkets (Carrefour and Auchan, really) and featured a large footprint.

From Wikipedia.

"All stores used a floorplan that exceeded 220,000 sq. ft. (20,000 m²). They featured a mini-mall, food court, arcade, bank, and other kiosk operations." One of the early problems was that a lot of people just found them to be too big.

[Pumapayam]

. . . use your perfectly good topic and bump it up.

And yes, so it's this location.

Okay bye.

[august948]

. . . use your perfectly good topic and bump it up.

And yes, so it's this location.

Okay bye.

Wasn't there a feature once upon a time that allowed us to put a map at the top of a thread showing the location being discussed? Has that gone away or is nobody using it?

[Pumapayam]

Wasn't there a feature once upon a time that allowed us to put a map at the top of a thread showing the location being discussed? Has that gone away or is nobody using it?

It disappeared when HAIF upgraded to the new forum software, no word on if we will get it back.

[IronTiger]

It appeared shortly before the July "HAIF HD" upgrade. Unfortunately, after the HAIF HD upgrade, it disappeared.

I'd like to have it back, too.

[IronTiger]

So I've doing more research on the subject, I gathered a few newspaper articles on Auchan and stuff, learned that bigg's is closing, and then came up with questions again. Such as the question of how Auchan was pronounced: was it "aww-chan" or "oh-shun", or possibly even "oh-sha" or "oh-shawn" (Wikipedia seems to indicate it's the third one, but wouldn't that make the "n" silent?)

Secondly, I'm fascinated by the 2000 store on 610. It's 180,000 square feet...the approximate size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter...yet they say a Target was there before? Surely there had to be a co-tenant...Target rarely builds stores that are 180,000 square feet, and certainly not in the 1990s or before. A quick look on Google Earth reveals that the 610 Auchan building was around in 1978! Intriguing, yes...does anyone know what it was in the past?

[brucesw]

So I've doing more research on the subject, I gathered a few newspaper articles on Auchan and stuff, learned that bigg's is closing, and then came up with questions again. Such as the question of how Auchan was pronounced: was it "aww-chan" or "oh-shun", or possibly even "oh-sha" or "oh-shawn" (Wikipedia seems to indicate it's the third one, but wouldn't that make the "n" silent?)

Secondly, I'm fascinated by the 2000 store on 610. It's 180,000 square feet...the approximate size of a Wal-Mart Supercenter...yet they say a Target was there before? Surely there had to be a co-tenant...Target rarely builds stores that are 180,000 square feet, and certainly not in the 1990s or before. A quick look on Google Earth reveals that the 610 Auchan building was around in 1978! Intriguing, yes...does anyone know what it was in the past?

I always said oh-shawn; I'm pretty sure I picked that up from an early Chronicle article about them. Years later I said it that way when speaking to management and doing live commercials from there and was never corrected, but they may have just thought I was close enough. The way I read the Wiki article, the last syllable was pronounced like the an in sans, so maybe I was wrong all along.

I don't remember a Target along the Loop but I have never had much reason to be over in that part of town. There was a Levitz Furniture warehouse store along there, I remember. 'You'll love it at Levitz.'

[IronTiger]

I always said oh-shawn; I'm pretty sure I picked that up from an early Chronicle article about them. Years later I said it that way when speaking to management and doing live commercials from there and was never corrected, but they may have just thought I was close enough. The way I read the Wiki article, the last syllable was pronounced like the an in sans, so maybe I was wrong all along.

I don't remember a Target along the Loop but I have never had much reason to be over in that part of town. There was a Levitz Furniture warehouse store along there, I remember. 'You'll love it at Levitz.'

You wouldn't happen to have copies of that commercial, would you?

[brucesw]

You wouldn't happen to have copies of that commercial, would you?

No, the whole remote would have been air-checked back at the station and saved but only for a short time. Radio stations typically only archive agency produced commercials.

[HeroZero]

Phar-Mor was sandwiched (although the largest of the three) between Luby's and Sound Warehouse.

Sound Warehouse sold music and movies (rentals as well) and accessories as well as video game systems until they were purchased by

Blockbuster and then the name was shortened to just Warehouse Music.

Could this be the place you refered to?

It was called Media Play.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Play

[KewpieCleaners]

I still shop at the Auchan Hypermart in Calais. The one in Houston used to have some decent wines at a great price.

[IronTiger]

In the 610 south loop location, why does the store jut out to the east side? I think it may have been an automotive center at one time, but did Auchan use for it for anything?

[gnu]

In the 610 south loop location, why does the store jut out to the east side? I think it may have been an automotive center at one time, but did Auchan use for it for anything?

It was originally a Target and some Targets had Auto Centers back then.

The Almeda/Kleckley Target also had an Auto Center.

(Check the aerial of it - it has the same 'jut')

[IronTiger]

Well, to account for the unusually large size for a pre-2000 Target, I found out that this Target had an attached grocery store, similar to how Kmart had "Kmart Foods" (which was run by Lewis & Coker), so an auto center wasn't out of the question.

Did Auchan ever use the space?

[gnu]

Well, to account for the unusually large size for a pre-2000 Target, I found out that this Target had an attached grocery store, similar to how Kmart had "Kmart Foods" (which was run by Lewis & Coker), so an auto center wasn't out of the question.

Did Auchan ever use the space?

I can't remember Auchan using that space but it doesn't mean they didn't. I only went in that store 4 or 5 times.

They may have sublet it like the Almeda Target which had an auto repair shop in their space.

I also can't remember that Target ever having groceries, but it may have.

We mostly traded at the Almeda Target and half of it's larger space was used by Marshall's in the late 70's.

That space could have been used as a Target grocery before that but I was probably too young to notice.

I remember the Kmart grocery. It was branded as Kmart Foods first. Later, they must have let Lewis and Coker take over or changed the arrangement.

It was resigned as a Lewis and Coker and a gate was installed between the stores inside. At first there was a guard placed there to keep people from taking merchandise back and forth and later they permanently locked it and then later they walled it up. Overall, I don't think the grocery department lasted over 3 or 4 years.

[IronTiger]

Well, the "Target grocery" was mentioned in the Weingarten's thread, and it turns out Target did run grocery stores in the 1970s (HistoricAerials.com has the 610 location physical building built in the early 1970s).

Lewis & Coker apparently had grocery stores with Kmart from Galveston to College Station, so it must have been Kmart's Kmart Foods partner for that region.

The Target grocer was likely a local company.

[TV2EBoogaloo]

a few friends went to hyper mart a couple of times, but I never went I was kind of the idea of "why would I want to eat something from a place that sells tires"

looking back in a way I wish I had gone at least one time, but at the same time it is kind of like never having seen ET.....a bit of a point of pride

(I have a friend that is in his 40s and has never seen Star Wars.....not any of them.....he never saw the first two then said he would wait and watch them all at one time then when George Lucas quit on the overall project my friend just never did see any of them)

[IronTiger]

OK, it's a bit of a long shot, but I want to get a picture of the Beltway 8 location as an Auchan (reason being partly for a SimCity project), but how would I get around to that? From what I've read, it was a pretty big deal, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't a single photo from the occasion.

But how would being the best way to get to it? Email the Chron, or email the Houston library?

[IronTiger]

Wait, never mind, I found an Auchan commercial on YouTube for the original 1988 location, which has the facade. All right!

(I would edit my post, but HAIF doesn't allow editing)

[IronTiger]

OK, here's a new one: Auchan (both of them) needed a distribution plant, right? Shouldn't the 2003 news articles (that mentioned the hypermarkets closing) talk about a closing of a distribution center, also?