Reset conversions vs. Rebrand conversions
Posted: 13 May 2017 00:27
There has been a lot of consolidation in the grocery store industry, that's for sure, and many stores have been reflagged under new corporate owners. In general I've found there are three types of conversions.
"Rebrand" Conversions - The store is slowly converted over to the new brand. Usually décor does not change, perishable programs change over time, and employees generally keep their jobs. The store is ultimately re-flagged over the course of a few weeks or months.
"Reset" Conversions - The store is closed temporarily to fully convert to the new brand. Décor usually sees mild changes but may not change at all except covering up old brands. Employees usually keep their jobs after re-applying and re-training.
"Rebuild" Conversions - The store is closed for weeks to fully convert to the new brand. Décor is brand new. Employees have to re-apply for their jobs but the company makes no promises.
Publix and Ahold did "rebuild" conversions when they take over stores, and all stores today do "reset" when its a market pull out.
To my knowledge, these are the "Rebrand" conversions:
- Generally any Albertsons takeover in the 1990s (Lucky, Super One Foods in Des Moines, Smitty's-MO, Seessel's, likely Buttrey)
- Jitney Jungle to Winn-Dixie (as well as older Winn-Dixie conversions, like Buddies)
- Any Safeway division spinoffs prior to the early 1990s (Houston - to AppleTree, New York - to Finast-Safeway, etc.)
- Tom Thumb to Randalls (in the Austin market)
- Kroger takeovers in the 1950s
- Rouses and LeBlanc's (a more modern example)
- Auchan to Omni (the Chicago store, not the Houston one)
- American Fare to Cub Foods (the grocery side only--at least that was the impression I got from articles)
- Generally anything where a larger company buys a smaller company wholesale (Kroger, A&P, Safeway, Albertsons) but keeps the name
Reset:
- All Albertsons takeovers after 2006 (A&P, Paul's, G&G)
- Modern Kroger takeovers maybe with the exception of Scott's (and even that I don't know)
- Sweetbay to Winn-Dixie
- Schwegmann to A&P (though was planned to be Rebrand before Schwegmann's 1999 bankruptcy)
- Anything that involves a market pullout without a shut down (generally), namely Albertsons and Houston
So that's my list so far--definitely seems to be more "resets" these days, but are there other semi-contemporary examples of doing a "rebrand" without closing the store for a period of time?
"Rebrand" Conversions - The store is slowly converted over to the new brand. Usually décor does not change, perishable programs change over time, and employees generally keep their jobs. The store is ultimately re-flagged over the course of a few weeks or months.
"Reset" Conversions - The store is closed temporarily to fully convert to the new brand. Décor usually sees mild changes but may not change at all except covering up old brands. Employees usually keep their jobs after re-applying and re-training.
"Rebuild" Conversions - The store is closed for weeks to fully convert to the new brand. Décor is brand new. Employees have to re-apply for their jobs but the company makes no promises.
Publix and Ahold did "rebuild" conversions when they take over stores, and all stores today do "reset" when its a market pull out.
To my knowledge, these are the "Rebrand" conversions:
- Generally any Albertsons takeover in the 1990s (Lucky, Super One Foods in Des Moines, Smitty's-MO, Seessel's, likely Buttrey)
- Jitney Jungle to Winn-Dixie (as well as older Winn-Dixie conversions, like Buddies)
- Any Safeway division spinoffs prior to the early 1990s (Houston - to AppleTree, New York - to Finast-Safeway, etc.)
- Tom Thumb to Randalls (in the Austin market)
- Kroger takeovers in the 1950s
- Rouses and LeBlanc's (a more modern example)
- Auchan to Omni (the Chicago store, not the Houston one)
- American Fare to Cub Foods (the grocery side only--at least that was the impression I got from articles)
- Generally anything where a larger company buys a smaller company wholesale (Kroger, A&P, Safeway, Albertsons) but keeps the name
Reset:
- All Albertsons takeovers after 2006 (A&P, Paul's, G&G)
- Modern Kroger takeovers maybe with the exception of Scott's (and even that I don't know)
- Sweetbay to Winn-Dixie
- Schwegmann to A&P (though was planned to be Rebrand before Schwegmann's 1999 bankruptcy)
- Anything that involves a market pullout without a shut down (generally), namely Albertsons and Houston
So that's my list so far--definitely seems to be more "resets" these days, but are there other semi-contemporary examples of doing a "rebrand" without closing the store for a period of time?