Kroger Family Centers

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BatteryMill
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by BatteryMill »

Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 08:20
BatteryMill wrote: 30 May 2023 00:22Rather a late pre-Superstore, has a lot of the Family Center DNA despite not quite being one.
Agreed. Also the other large building on the site, which was probably some flavor of discount department store, argues against its being a Family Center as well. But yeah, it definitely has the FC design touches.
Not to mention, per NACDS and newspaper ads from May 1972, there was a SupeRx next door. So that arrangement explains why it may be larger than a standard Kroger of the time.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

BatteryMill wrote: 30 May 2023 12:30 Not to mention, per NACDS and newspaper ads from May 1972, there was a SupeRx next door. So that arrangement explains why it may be larger than a standard Kroger of the time.
If you look closely at the Google Maps link, it shows a definite division between the Kroger and the SuperX/CVS that was once there. It had superstore brickwork, but a FC-Like walkway (The FC walkway was usually cast-in-place, but the one here seems pre-fab).
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by Groceteria »

Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 13:24 Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
1972-ish, depending on the division. Houston (Kroger Texas) tried to nurse it into the 80s, even opening the very short lived Opelousas, LA store (a newer greenhouse FC), which lasted less than 2 years. Considering that Kroger still operates 5 Family Center leftover stores in the division, i'd say they did better there.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by BatteryMill »

wnetmacman wrote: 30 May 2023 14:55
Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 13:24 Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
1972-ish, depending on the division. Houston (Kroger Texas) tried to nurse it into the 80s, even opening the very short lived Opelousas, LA store (a newer greenhouse FC), which lasted less than 2 years. Considering that Kroger still operates 5 Family Center leftover stores in the division, i'd say they did better there.
Interestingly I believe Kroger Family Centers were all in one division, operated out of Cincinnati at the time. The NC (Roanoke) Family Centers went through the 70s, and a few others may have lasted longer but most either converted to regular Krogers or closed outright depending on the need.
rich
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by rich »

Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 13:24 Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
The first superstore opened in 1972 and they quickly built a lot of them. That was shortly after they exited the Twin Cities and Chicago and signaled that they were willing to leave markets. They knew by then that they needed to change their approach and had experimented with larger super markets during the 60s that included service departments. The family centers may have been part of a strategy to enter mostly smaller, often peripheral markets where service departments might not be the way to go.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

rich wrote: 04 Jun 2023 18:52 The first superstore opened in 1972 and they quickly built a lot of them. That was shortly after they exited the Twin Cities and Chicago and signaled that they were willing to leave markets. They knew by then that they needed to change their approach and had experimented with larger super markets during the 60s that included service departments. The family centers may have been part of a strategy to enter mostly smaller, often peripheral markets where service departments might not be the way to go.
The Family Centers did better in places that were smaller, and that is no more evident than in Texas, where the largest concentration of them (six) still exist: Longview, Marshall, Paris, Nacogdoches, Orange and Baytown. Baytown is the largest market that still exists.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by BatteryMill »

rich wrote: 04 Jun 2023 18:52
Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 13:24 Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
The first superstore opened in 1972 and they quickly built a lot of them. That was shortly after they exited the Twin Cities and Chicago and signaled that they were willing to leave markets. They knew by then that they needed to change their approach and had experimented with larger super markets during the 60s that included service departments. The family centers may have been part of a strategy to enter mostly smaller, often peripheral markets where service departments might not be the way to go.
Correct, many new markets or ones that featured Kroger before the supermarket age (ex. Mattoon, former Wichita Division territory) through Family Center. In the early 1970s Kroger also exited Wisconsin and consolidated divisions down to about what they have today.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

BatteryMill wrote: 05 Jun 2023 16:31
rich wrote: 04 Jun 2023 18:52
Groceteria wrote: 30 May 2023 13:24 Newspaper archives suggest that the Kroger opened about 1972, which was after the Family Center experiment more or less ended (I think) and was a couple of years before the first superstores.
The first superstore opened in 1972 and they quickly built a lot of them. That was shortly after they exited the Twin Cities and Chicago and signaled that they were willing to leave markets. They knew by then that they needed to change their approach and had experimented with larger super markets during the 60s that included service departments. The family centers may have been part of a strategy to enter mostly smaller, often peripheral markets where service departments might not be the way to go.
Correct, many new markets or ones that featured Kroger before the supermarket age (ex. Mattoon, former Wichita Division territory) through Family Center. In the early 1970s Kroger also exited Wisconsin and consolidated divisions down to about what they have today.
The Family Center was truly flexible. Several of the Texas stores added service departments before the end of the FC experiment. Most did not start with them due to space constraints, but as GM categories were removed, service departments often replaced them. Longview, TX actually replaced the auto shop with a deli and bakery in a 1979 remodel. (Longivew remained a Family Center until 1983)
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by retail_person_247 »

Ok so I made a list of discount department stores, which includes Kroger Family Centers.

here's what my records show so far:

Kroger Family Center 2304 N Slappey Blvd Albany GA 31701
Kroger Family Center 530 Woodlawn Rd Lincoln IL 62656
Kroger Family Center 1600 W Jackson St Macomb IL 61455
Kroger Family Center (later Danner's 3D) 204 Charleston Ave E Mattoon IL 61938
Kroger Family Center E 4th St Sterling IL 61081
Kroger Family Center (later TG&Y Family Center) 512 Andrew Ave La Porte IN 46350
Kroger Family Center (later Danner's 3D) 1301 E. Lincoln Way Valparaiso IN 46383
Kroger Family Center 2102 W 6th Ave Emporia KS 66801
Kroger Family Center 101 E Cypress St, Lafayette, LA 70501
Kroger Family Center 600 12th St Lake Charles LA 70601
Kroger Family Center 900 7th St Morgan City, LA LA 70380
Kroger Family Center 1502 E Main St New Iberia LA 70560
Kroger Family Center 2021 Independence St Cape Girardeau MO 63703
Kroger Family Center 713 E Broadway Blvd Sedalia MO 65301
Kroger Family Center 1778 MS-1 Greenville MS 38701
Kroger Family Center 601 Broadway Dr Hattiesburg MS 39401
Kroger Family Center 81 S Elliott Rd Chapel Hill NC 27514
Kroger Family Center 1834 E 2nd St Defiance OH 43512
Kroger Family Center 1700 E Main St Alice TX 78332
Kroger Family Center 500 W Ben White Blvd Austin TX 78704
Kroger Family Center 8100 Burnet Rd Austin TX 78757
Kroger Family Center 1700 N Alexander Dr Baytown TX 77520
Kroger Family Center 814 S Expressway 83 Brownsville TX 78520
Kroger Family Center 814 US-83 Brownsville TX 78521
Kroger Family Center 2104 S Texas Ave Bryan TX 77801
Kroger Family Center 1217 N Loop 336 W Conroe TX 77301
Kroger Family Center 3500 Leopard St Corpus Christi TX 78408
Kroger Family Center 4135 Ayers St Corpus Christi TX 78415
Kroger Family Center 5625 S Padre Island Dr Corpus Christi TX 78412
Kroger Family Center 406 N 77 Sunshine Strip Harlingen TX 78550
Kroger Family Center 148 Farm to Market 1960 Rd W, Houston, TX 77090
Kroger Family Center 1701 Brahma Blvd Kingsville TX 78363
Kroger Family Center 4801 San Dario Ave Laredo TX 78041
Kroger Family Center 701 W Marshall Ave Longview TX 75601
Kroger Family Center 300 E End Blvd N Marshall TX 75670
Kroger Family Center 800 S 10th St McAllen TX 78501
Kroger Family Center 1215 North St Nacogdoches TX 75961
Kroger Family Center 1600 N 16th St Orange TX 77630
Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 3052 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 3701 S General Bruce Dr Temple TX 76501
Kroger Family Center 2805 N Navarro St Victoria TX 77901
Kroger Family Center 725 S Texas Blvd Weslaco TX 78596

Here's the previously mentioned discount store list if your interested:
https://retail247projecthub.blogspot.co ... -list.html
Retail_247
wnetmacman
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

You have Paris listed three times. Only one is correct:
retail_person_247 wrote: 06 Jul 2023 13:53 Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
One is a direct duplicate, and the other (3052 Clarksville) was not Kroger. Kroger didn't run the Family Centers long enough to relocate any stores. Kroger still operates in the old Family Center at 1310 Clarksville St.

Many of the south Texas stores were sold to HEB, save for the two Austin stores. Aside from Paris, five others still operate as Kroger: Longview, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Orange and Baytown. New Iberia still has a grocery store in the Kroger footprint, but it only occupies 40% of the building.
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by retail_person_247 »

wnetmacman wrote: 07 Jul 2023 10:06 You have Paris listed three times. Only one is correct:
retail_person_247 wrote: 06 Jul 2023 13:53 Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
One is a direct duplicate, and the other (3052 Clarksville) was not Kroger. Kroger didn't run the Family Centers long enough to relocate any stores. Kroger still operates in the old Family Center at 1310 Clarksville St.

Many of the south Texas stores were sold to HEB, save for the two Austin stores. Aside from Paris, five others still operate as Kroger: Longview, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Orange and Baytown. New Iberia still has a grocery store in the Kroger footprint, but it only occupies 40% of the building.
I was just notified today about that store, the address is incorrect.

There was never a Kroger at 360 Clarksville, the actual family center at 3052 is still operating as a Kroger location.
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wnetmacman
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

retail_person_247 wrote: 07 Jul 2023 12:51 I was just notified today about that store, the address is incorrect.

There was never a Kroger at 360 Clarksville, the actual family center at 3052 is still operating as a Kroger location.
From the Kroger website:
paristx.jpg
It's not at 3052.
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BatteryMill
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by BatteryMill »

retail_person_247 wrote: 06 Jul 2023 13:53 Ok so I made a list of discount department stores, which includes Kroger Family Centers.

here's what my records show so far:

Kroger Family Center 2304 N Slappey Blvd Albany GA 31701
Kroger Family Center 530 Woodlawn Rd Lincoln IL 62656
Kroger Family Center 1600 W Jackson St Macomb IL 61455
Kroger Family Center (later Danner's 3D) 204 Charleston Ave E Mattoon IL 61938
Kroger Family Center E 4th St Sterling IL 61081
Kroger Family Center (later TG&Y Family Center) 512 Andrew Ave La Porte IN 46350
Kroger Family Center (later Danner's 3D) 1301 E. Lincoln Way Valparaiso IN 46383
Kroger Family Center 2102 W 6th Ave Emporia KS 66801
Kroger Family Center 101 E Cypress St, Lafayette, LA 70501
Kroger Family Center 600 12th St Lake Charles LA 70601
Kroger Family Center 900 7th St Morgan City, LA LA 70380
Kroger Family Center 1502 E Main St New Iberia LA 70560
Kroger Family Center 2021 Independence St Cape Girardeau MO 63703
Kroger Family Center 713 E Broadway Blvd Sedalia MO 65301
Kroger Family Center 1778 MS-1 Greenville MS 38701
Kroger Family Center 601 Broadway Dr Hattiesburg MS 39401
Kroger Family Center 81 S Elliott Rd Chapel Hill NC 27514
Kroger Family Center 1834 E 2nd St Defiance OH 43512
Kroger Family Center 1700 E Main St Alice TX 78332
Kroger Family Center 500 W Ben White Blvd Austin TX 78704
Kroger Family Center 8100 Burnet Rd Austin TX 78757
Kroger Family Center 1700 N Alexander Dr Baytown TX 77520
Kroger Family Center 814 S Expressway 83 Brownsville TX 78520
Kroger Family Center 814 US-83 Brownsville TX 78521
Kroger Family Center 2104 S Texas Ave Bryan TX 77801
Kroger Family Center 1217 N Loop 336 W Conroe TX 77301
Kroger Family Center 3500 Leopard St Corpus Christi TX 78408
Kroger Family Center 4135 Ayers St Corpus Christi TX 78415
Kroger Family Center 5625 S Padre Island Dr Corpus Christi TX 78412
Kroger Family Center 406 N 77 Sunshine Strip Harlingen TX 78550
Kroger Family Center 148 Farm to Market 1960 Rd W, Houston, TX 77090
Kroger Family Center 1701 Brahma Blvd Kingsville TX 78363
Kroger Family Center 4801 San Dario Ave Laredo TX 78041
Kroger Family Center 701 W Marshall Ave Longview TX 75601
Kroger Family Center 300 E End Blvd N Marshall TX 75670
Kroger Family Center 800 S 10th St McAllen TX 78501
Kroger Family Center 1215 North St Nacogdoches TX 75961
Kroger Family Center 1600 N 16th St Orange TX 77630
Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 1310 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 3052 Clarksville St Paris TX 75460
Kroger Family Center 3701 S General Bruce Dr Temple TX 76501
Kroger Family Center 2805 N Navarro St Victoria TX 77901
Kroger Family Center 725 S Texas Blvd Weslaco TX 78596

Here's the previously mentioned discount store list if your interested:
https://retail247projecthub.blogspot.co ... -list.html
There are still a few missing from AR, NC and some other states, though good work. Don't forget to credit the Kroger store list and South Texas Retail for our findings.
wnetmacman
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Re: Kroger Family Centers

Post by wnetmacman »

BatteryMill wrote: 07 Jul 2023 13:30 There are still a few missing from AR, NC and some other states, though good work. Don't forget to credit the Kroger store list and South Texas Retail for our findings.
Also missing - the short lived greenhouse Family Center in Opelousas, LA. It ran from 1980-1982.
kropel.jpg
Scott Greer
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