Randall's History

[IronTiger]

Yeah, likely Albertsons will make changes there. Just as Safeway was a different Safeway when they returned through Randalls, the "old" Albertsons has been dead since 2006. This merger enables them to hold onto Dallas and prepare for the eventual HEB assault, and gain back Austin and Houston.

[technoevil]

The first one to close opened in the late 80s and early 90s  West Bellfort and Gessner when Fondren South West started to go down hill it did not even last 5 yrs if I remember correctly nothing ever open in its place.  2nd one to close was the one Fondren and Bissonnet also in a ghetto area nothing open in it pace

 

The one at W. Bellfort and Gessner opened sometime in the mid 80's and did not close until sometime around 2005-2008.  It even had a gas station. 

[IronTiger]

Nah, they definitely closed several before the acquisition. Briefly, they reopened an AppleTree in Killeen, and also San Marcos.

[SpaceGhost]

Heading back to what this thread was originally about, I found some pictures of a Randall's pre-Safeway.

 

They're from the time Boris Yeltsin came to town. So you may have seen them before. You can check them out here.

[august948]

Heading back to what this thread was originally about, I found some pictures of a Randall's pre-Safeway.

 

They're from the time Boris Yeltsin came to town. So you may have seen them before. You can check them out here.

 

Ha Ha... Boris finds out why we beat the USSR into the dust.  "You have how many types of cheese?"

 

[Reefmonkey]

Ugh, had no idea that Safeway and Albertson's were merging. Surely to be the coup de gras for Randall's. Albertson's was terrible, I was so happy to see it fail here in Houston. Of course I also remember when Safeway failed in Houston, and rather than take the hint, they bought Randall's a once-great local chain, and have run it into the ground IMO. Randall's was always a little more expensive than Krogers, and alot more expensive than Fiesta, but the shopping experience and selection, esp. of higher end items, was always better. I always liked Tom Thumb up in Dallas when I was going to college there. Remember shopping at both the really old Mockingbird and Central Tom Thumb that was like walking back in time to at least the early 60s, and their store at Lover's and Greenville, both before and after its rebuild in about 1995-1996. The Randall's-Tom Thumb connection gave me a sense of continuity both when I went away to college and when I came back to Houston.

 

Have a lot of memories of Randall's from my childhood in the Spring/Klein area in the 1980s. Remember going to the Randall's on the south side of 1960 at I-45 when we lived in Cypresswood in the early 80s. It was later moved across the street. Then I remember occasionally we would go to what in the early 80s was the only Randall's Flagship in the area, at 1960 and Champion Forest Drive, back when it still had the upstairs cafe in a loft that overlooked the store. Later when we moved to Champion Forest in the mid 80s, we went mostly to the Randall's on Louetta and Champion Forest Drive, that closed a few years back, only a few years after undergoing a major renovation. That used to be our main place to rent VHS movies on Friday nights. Shoot, even when I went off to college, I would still rent movies from Tom Thumb sometimes, because while the selection sucked compared to Blockbuster, the price was so much cheaper, and all you needed was your loyalty card to rent.

 

Remember a few other non-Randall's grocery stores from the early 80s in that part of town. When I was really young in the very early 80s, when my mom didn't want to drive all the way to the Randall's at I-45, we would shop at the Eagle grocery story on 1960 Ella, next to the Interurban Pharmacy (anyone remember those?), it had a very 60s-70s vibe. Then later (~82-85) we would shop at the Kroger on Kuykendahl and Louetta. It was one of those ones from that time that had the smoked glass roof in front.

[IronTiger]

The "old" Albertsons essentially died in 2006 with the sale and breakup of the company. The current Albertsons is substantially different in many ways.

[Earlydays]

Albertson's also owns an excellent chain of grocery stores, Market Street, that is here in the Dallas area.

[ChannelTwoNews]

Albertson's also owns an excellent chain of grocery stores, Market Street, that is here in the Dallas area.

 

I think that's more of a function of how they were developed by United Supermarkets, prior to that chain's purchase by Albertson's in the recent past.

 

I've only been to the one in Wichita Falls, but it reminds me of a decent-sized and stocked HEB. It stands out in a market that doesn't have one. It has a fair amount of amenities, and quite good service. I actually went there seeking a local wine and was impressed they had all of the selections available from the vineyard. Bonus points for being open 24 hours as well.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing it expand beyond the few locations it has. Albertsons was in the process of closing it's "original" location in that city on my last visit, but I suppose it gets a second life there with the United stores in town that were included in the acquisition.

[Earlydays]

I think that's more of a function of how they were developed by United Supermarkets, prior to that chain's purchase by Albertson's in the recent past......

 

 That's correct....Albertson's just acquired United Supermarkets in the past 12 months.

[Reefmonkey]

The "old" Albertsons essentially died in 2006 with the sale and breakup of the company. The current Albertsons is substantially different in many ways.

 

So what's substantially different about it now? I've been to the Albertsons on Berry near TCU in Fort Worth several times since 2006 since it is the closest grocery store to my in-laws' house, and it still sucks. Ugly store, lackluster service, poor selection. I would be willing to give the ugliness of the store the benefit of the doubt, being a relic of pre-2006 conditions, but would think that service and selection would be improved if the Cerberus buyout were really an improvement.

 

And who names their investment company after the 3-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell? Sounds like an omen of what is to come for Randall's to me.

[IronTiger]

So what's substantially different about it now? I've been to the Albertsons on Berry near TCU in Fort Worth several times since 2006 since it is the closest grocery store to my in-laws' house, and it still sucks. Ugly store, lackluster service, poor selection. I would be willing to give the ugliness of the store the benefit of the doubt, being a relic of pre-2006 conditions, but would think that service and selection would be improved if the Cerberus buyout were really an improvement.

 

And who names their investment company after the 3-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell? Sounds like an omen of what is to come for Randall's to me.

They dropped the "Preferred Customer" card (something Kroger has yet to pick up on), and did improve other divisions like Jewel or Acme (post-SuperValu), plan to have the divisions operate more independently (Randalls being one). It seems that the stores under the "United Family" have pricing similar to H-E-B, and the idea is that the combined Safeway/Albertsons will have more buying power.

I understand that some stores won't be up to snuff--some H-E-B stores still lack even a pharmacy...

[Reefmonkey]

They dropped the "Preferred Customer" card (something Kroger has yet to pick up on), and did improve other divisions like Jewel or Acme (post-SuperValu), plan to have the divisions operate more independently (Randalls being one). It seems that the stores under the "United Family" have pricing similar to H-E-B, and the idea is that the combined Safeway/Albertsons will have more buying power.

I understand that some stores won't be up to snuff--some H-E-B stores still lack even a pharmacy...

 

Yeah, those HEBs are usually relics of HEB's failed "Pantry" concept, there is one close to me at Memorial and Dairy-Ashford. The only reason it survives, I think, is the only other two grocery stores nearby are a crappy 70's-era Kroger and an old Randall's. I think the HEB Pantry failure, as well as the first Safeway failure and the Albertsons failure and Randall's post-acquisition decline in popularity demonstrated something Safeyway/Albertson's needs to finally sit up and take notice - the kinds of stores that may work in their other markets don't work in Houston, Houstonians have come to expect better selection, especially on name brands, and better shopping environments, and any chain that thinks it can cut out desired brands like Boar's Head so it can push its own in-house brands, and do so in a boring or warehouse-like environment, is doomed to fail.

[august948]

Yeah, those HEBs are usually relics of HEB's failed "Pantry" concept, there is one close to me at Memorial and Dairy-Ashford. The only reason it survives, I think, is the only other two grocery stores nearby are a crappy 70's-era Kroger and an old Randall's. I think the HEB Pantry failure, as well as the first Safeway failure and the Albertsons failure and Randall's post-acquisition decline in popularity demonstrated something Safeyway/Albertson's needs to finally sit up and take notice - the kinds of stores that may work in their other markets don't work in Houston, Houstonians have come to expect better selection, especially on name brands, and better shopping environments, and any chain that thinks it can cut out desired brands like Boar's Head so it can push its own in-house brands, and do so in a boring or warehouse-like environment, is doomed to fail.

 

I'm surprised HEB hasn't replaced that store with a larger one nearby.  The closest non-ex-pantry stores are at Westheimer/Kirkwood and Bunker Hill/I10.  Meanwhile there are at least 4 Krogers and two Randall's nearby.

 

[SpaceGhost]

I suppose this topic is a better spot than any of the others. Grocers Supply is being bought out. Although it looks like Fiesta is being left out of the deal.

 

Also I don't think Pantry Foods was a failure. It's not around today, but I don't think it was part of the long term goal for H-E-B. It definitely helped H-E-B get a foothold in Houston's grocery market, which keep in mind was very different 20 years ago. So I would say it could be considered a success for H-E-B.

[august948]

I suppose this topic is a better spot than any of the others. Grocers Supply is being bought out. Although it looks like Fiesta is being left out of the deal.

 

Also I don't think Pantry Foods was a failure. It's not around today, but I don't think it was part of the long term goal for H-E-B. It definitely helped H-E-B get a foothold in Houston's grocery market, which keep in mind was very different 20 years ago. So I would say it could be considered a success for H-E-B.

 

Any idea why they chose the pantry format instead of just building regular stores?

 

[IronTiger]

Any idea why they chose the pantry format instead of just building regular stores?

It was a cheap and low cost way to get into the market. And it worked--in a little more than two decades, they hijacked the grocery market, even overtaking Kroger just very recently.

[Reefmonkey]

I seem to remember reading that part of the reason the Pantry concept closed was the Walmart Neighborhood Market concept beat them out, a very similar concept, but with a much more recognizable brand, especially for the target market. Couldn't compete with Walmart for the cheap seats, couldn't compete with Kroger and Randall's for the higher end market, so they regrouped and brought in Central Market to give them high end market draw, and then the right combination of traditional stores and CM/traditional hybrids. I think Central Market is what gave HEB its second chance in the Houston market after Pantry fizzled.

[SpaceGhost]

I seem to remember reading that part of the reason the Pantry concept closed was the Walmart Neighborhood Market concept beat them out, a very similar concept, but with a much more recognizable brand, especially for the target market. Couldn't compete with Walmart for the cheap seats, couldn't compete with Kroger and Randall's for the higher end market, so they regrouped and brought in Central Market to give them high end market draw, and then the right combination of traditional stores and CM/traditional hybrids. I think Central Market is what gave HEB its second chance in the Houston market after Pantry fizzled.

 

The only article I can find about Pantry Food's closing is this one. It's relatively ambigious although they state that:

the company will either shutter or expand and convert most or all of its 45 Pantry stores.

This article is dated 2000. While Neighborhood Market opened 1998 making it possible that some overlaps existed, it's unlikely that Neighborhood Market was what caused the concept to end. At this point in their history H-E-B has a pretty steady footing in the Houston area. This allowed them move on to larger stores. While I don't have an exact list I would assume that most stores where expanded or moved into larger spaces. At the time of this post there are only 8 Neighborhood Markets. I checked all the addresses on HCAD, and they all had opening dates of 2001 and 2002. So unless any Neighborhood Market locations closed, and I was unable to look them up (I don't think any have but wouldn't put money on it.) then we can completely discount the Neighborhood Market theory. You can also consider that the Neighborhood Market is a different concept from what Pantry Foods was. Neighborhood Market has the dry goods and prepackaged meats and such that Pantry Foods had, although they also have full service counters for the Bakery, Deli etc..

 

So basically it was at that point just time for H-E-B to expand. More evidence can be found on this in the article:

 

She did confirm that the Katy store will be replaced and closed and that the Pantry store at the intersection Scott and Old Spanish Trail will be expanded by 5,000 square feet and transitioned into a regular H-E-B store, similar to those that operate in San Antonio and Austin. The Pantry name will be removed from that store (which will celebrate a re-grand opening in late August), as well as all of the others that undergo an expansion, Montalbano says.

The company's first traditional H-E-B store in Houston to be built from the ground up is already under construction at the corner of Fountainview and Westheimer and is scheduled to open later this year.

 

Finally the first new full size H-E-B actually predates Central Market which opened in 2001.

[ADCS]

IIRC, the whole point of the Pantry Foods concept was for H-E-B to establish a brand presence in Houston, a notoriously difficult grocery store market, without sinking a huge amount of money into capital costs. Once established, Albertsons' failure and Randall's weakening position in the market provided the opportunity for H-E-B to expand its operations with much less risk.

[IronTiger]

I seem to remember reading that part of the reason the Pantry concept closed was the Walmart Neighborhood Market concept beat them out, a very similar concept, but with a much more recognizable brand, especially for the target market. Couldn't compete with Walmart for the cheap seats, couldn't compete with Kroger and Randall's for the higher end market, so they regrouped and brought in Central Market to give them high end market draw, and then the right combination of traditional stores and CM/traditional hybrids. I think Central Market is what gave HEB its second chance in the Houston market after Pantry fizzled.

 

The H-E-B Pantry stores served their purpose. They entered the market in 1992 by bombing the market with dozens of stores (some weren't successful and closed within a year or two), beating Food Lion to the punch, and starting a price war that would take down the cash-strapped AppleTree (which spun off from a cash-strapped Safeway).

 

By advertising low prices and being found everywhere, they were able to capture consumer mindshare, and because they were so cheap to operate, they were able to enter the market cheaply (breaking into an urban grocery market is usually an expensive endeavor). By 2000, they had put in their roots deep enough to create "real" supermarkets that could effectively compete on equal grounding with Kroger, Randalls, and Albertsons, and the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets were starting to push in for the Pantry's ground (something Business Journals noted, but WMNMs are much larger than the Pantry stores). It wasn't enough to kill the concept, but it was clearly time for a change. The Central Markets had been developed for years, and was independent of the concept.

 

The star at Randalls began to fall at the right time for the rise of H-E-B, a consequence of being acquired by Safeway (and had no idea to run a regional operation anymore, and failed merchandising). Albertsons first time around was in the same boat, but unlike Safeway's Randalls, they had no chance to build up a name for themselves, and the pressure from Albertsons' ill-advised acquisition of American Stores made the Houston market the first to be cut.

 

Four years later, the situation at Albertsons Inc. had gotten bad enough to split the company into two parts: New Albertsons Inc. (SuperValu-owned) and Albertsons LLC (Cerberus owned). The LLC had the lesser performing divisions and was expected to basically sell it off. Instead, they made brutal cuts that ended up saving the company, even re-opening stores, and outperforming SuperValu's divisions. SuperValu choked on New Albertsons and sold it back to Cerberus. And despite some variable store experiences and the store brands decimated, I've heard some nice things about the reunited company, including better prices, a renewed commitment to store heritage like Acme, and a better store experience overall.

 

There's a lot of pessimism about the merger, and I think some of it is valid, some not. Some consumers worry about store closings, but that's up to the FTC to decide. Some consumers worry about higher prices, but the merger will strengthen buying power and allow them to offer cheaper products.

 

Much will remain to be worked out. The United Supermarkets family remains a shining star in the system as Albertsons LLC has cultivated it instead of killing it, and of course, integrating Safeway and Albertsons will be a challenge, even at a logistics level. It won't match up with Kroger in terms of integration anytime soon, and will be a process to watch as the new "Albertsons Safeway Corporation" or whatever forms and grows.

 

The future isn't secure for Randalls, but moribund it is no longer. Pay attention to it--I can't guarantee it won't be bumped off by Kroger, H-E-B, Walmart, or even Fiesta, but a new chapter is beginning, and it's likely going to be better than the last.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2000/07/31/story4.html?page=all

other source like the Houston Chronicle

[SpaceGhost]

This topic once again serves as kind of a catchall for this post. Not 100% on topic, but no better place for this.

 

This is a general list put together by the city of Houston that shows grocery stores by general location. It's interesting because the list is definitely outdated. I mean Beldans, and Auchan are still on this list! Also the store numbers listed, as far as I can tell, are incorrect.

 

[IronTiger]

This topic once again serves as kind of a catchall for this post. Not 100% on topic, but no better place for this.

 

This is a general list put together by the city of Houston that shows grocery stores by general location. It's interesting because the list is definitely outdated. I mean Beldans, and Auchan are still on this list! Also the store numbers listed, as far as I can tell, are incorrect.

It seems to list a service, based on the URL and the check cashing place at Airline, probably Airline, explains why it neglects HEB Pantry and its ilk (too small!) and Rice Epicurean and Whole Foods (too upscale!)

 

It's before 2003 because Auchan is still there but barring that (could be a mistake) before 2005 since Randalls had more stores, but more recent that it may suggest. 

 

That's because 8620 Stella Link is Sellers Brothers--which it still is, by the way, but until mid-1997, that store was still an AppleTree. That became a Food City later but it blows a hole in my previous assertion that SB came in 2008. Either way, that's a huge indicator of when it was written, as by 1997, Albertsons had landed in Houston (also likely most neglected). There's also no former Albertsons addresses later (many went to Kroger).

 

It still has Randalls at 11071 (now 11077) Northwest Freeway where Academy is, and when that came in I think was 2004, but Randalls may have been vacant by then. There's another thread where this is explained a bit better.

 

So...2000 maybe?

[brucesw]

I was thinking a list of places to pay COH water bills since it's a Public Works document?  But then why list Galveston and Lake Jackson locations?

[Slick Vik]

Sellers bros is good