Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Uh...California.

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Dean
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Post by Dean »

greebs wrote: 151 S. Hacienda Blvd, City of Industry-Zodys-HomeBase-?
Yes, this site was originally ZODYS. I went to the grand opening. My dad took me as they were supposed to have some DODGER or ANGEL players there. After ZODYS...it became HomeClub...which morphed into HomeBase. Now Superior.

The Denny's in that center was originally ALPHY'S.

The Starbuck's facing Hacienda was originally a chicken place I believe, Tom Sawyer's?!

Years ago...the train tracks adjacent to the center were at street level. The City of Industry realized the desperate need to lower Hacienda Boulevard...so that traffic did not need to stop for the train!
scanman2
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Superior Super Warehouse

Post by scanman2 »

I am a former career Superior employee only 3 years removed so if anybody has any questions feel free to ask. As far as the Superior in Covina is concerned I can speak for the histroy as far back as 1981 as I was an original employee there. It was originally a Smith's Food King (the 1st time around the old Smith's) and Superior went in there March 1981 as Frontier Warehouse Grocers. There was a Frontier meat market down the street that threatened to sue them for the name being the same so they changed it in 1982 to Superior. Superior vacated in December 1984 and another independent went in there in 1985. It closed later that year and sat empty and was remodeled and another independent went in for less than a year and failed also. Entire shopping center was torn down and redone and Lucky opened not sure what year with a warehouse format market called Save-a-lot. When Lucky and Alpha Beta merged and the FTC disapproved the merger then Certified Grocers (now Unified Western Grocers) purchased a lot of stores and sub leased them or sold them to several indepentents. Superior went back in and since store #1 was renumbered as the store in Watts on 103rd and Avalon, Superior in Covina became store #15.
Jeff wrote:Covina used to be a Smith's market, later Lucky that closed when they were bought by Albertsons.

The one on Ave 45 was a Lucky, and Albertsons that closed last year. They are working to save the architecture:
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic ... 50384a54f5
(close up pictures taken down however)


3600 Cesar Chavez was a Safeway. In fact, a Marina Safeway (look at the pictures and you can see the slight curvature of the roof).
This was a Tianguis in 86 then Vons when Tianguis was folded. It closed in the mid 90's.
Last edited by scanman2 on 02 Oct 2007 01:08, edited 1 time in total.
scanman2
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Superior In Covina

Post by scanman2 »

Oh another interesting thing about the Superior in Covina, it had a Thrify Drug in the center that had a Thrifty Coffee shop at the end of the center. I used to love eating there when I worked at Superior...liver and onions...yummy!!!
scanman2
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Superior in Chino moving!

Post by scanman2 »

I just went by the Gigante in Chino that closed and saw the liquor license transfer which is in the name of Super Center Concepts, Inc. which is the corporate name for Superior Super Warehouse. A sign is on the building welcoming the Gigante customers to the Superior in Chino and Ontario. I also got some gossip from the security guard on duty outside and he verified that Superior will move and the current Superior on Walnut and Central will be the future home for the Chino PD. Also some history on the Gigante building, it was built as a Market Basket about 1980 just before Kroger closed all the CA Market Basket stores. After that it was a Ralphs that closed in less than 1 year (had no business). It sat empty a short time and then was a Drug Emporium for several years until Drug Emporium bellied up. Funny thing is the owners of Superior looked at this building about 2001 and said it was too small but Gigante has spread out into empty shops in the center.
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

Superior took over the former Tianguis markets in East LA and Montebello.

The East LA was a former Gable Safeway that expanded. You can still see the gable roof line inside the store.
scanman2
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Superior East LA Cesar Chavez Ave

Post by scanman2 »

When Superior took over this store I could see some of the logo scars of the ribbon S logo on the walls when it was gutted out. Another feature was the flooring that had been covered over. It was that marigold beige color, major project to remove. That must have been a very early Safeway as it is a small building.
scanman2
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Tianguis stores taken over by Superior

Post by scanman2 »

Superior also took the Tianguis stores in Cudahy at Atlantic & Florence originally built by Vons. Don't know the site history prior to Tianguis although I seem to remember a field there in the 80's. Also the Tianguis in Huntington Park on Pacific near Slauson, there is an In-n-Out burger in the parking lot. This is a very old building and I don't know what the history was on this building. It looks like it may have been a Safeway but I seem to remember a very old Safeway on Florence in Huntington Park where there was a Krispy Kreme. I remember a Boys Market then a Viva Mart (latino stores opened by Boys/QFI) in that area but that may be where the La Curacao latino furniture store is now in the next shopping center. Any help out there?
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Post by Dean »

greebs wrote: 1201 W. Whittier Blvd, Montebello-Tianguis
Prior to TIANGUIS...I believe it was Fazio's, then Sav-On (which I remember shopping), and then it sat vacant for some time with a fence around it.

Think they must've demolished the former building, to build TIANGUIS, as it was not as large as it became.
scanman2
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Superior in Huntington Park

Post by scanman2 »

I can tell you that the next shopping center on the same side of Pacific has a former Sav-on now a CVS. This would be the south east corner of Pacific and Slauson. There is a La Curacau latino furniture store in that center. I do remember a Boys Market then a Viva (latino format Boys/QFI). Maybe this is where Fazios was located? Somebody should open a new blog on Fazios, another grocery chain gone off the southern CA map.
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steps
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Re: Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Post by steps »

I noticed a few months ago the for 32 Ranch(?) market near USC in the village is now a Superior. Was this store always Superior? I has a Safeway look to it...was this anything prior to 32 Ranch Market?
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scanman2
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32 ranch market?

Post by scanman2 »

This store was a 32nd Street Market and the chain has since closed all of their stores which I believe got as high as 5 stores. The USC store as it was called had a huge liquor warehouse upstairs above the store and in the heyday the store was said to have had 25% of their sales come from alcoholic beverage sales. Superior has been there about 2 years now. I will inquire at Superior if anybody knows the history before 32nd Street Market.
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Re: Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Post by runchadrun »

The 32nd Street Market (near USC) opened in 1951 and was located at 3129 Hoover since at least 1966. There was a 1978 redevelopment of University Village where more stores were added to the shopping center and the market grew to 50,000 sq ft. It had sales of $13m in 1978, up from $270K in 1959. By 1986 sales were $30m. The store was owned by Morrie Notrica, whose father immigrated from the Isle of Rhodes in 1921 and bought a grocery store. In 1986 he bought a former Vons on Wardlow Road on the Long Beach/Los Alamitos border. By 1997 there were 5 stores, some under the name Notrica's Family Markets. The original store closed on September 30, 2005 when lease negotiations with USC, which owns the shopping center, fell through.
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steps
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Re: Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Post by steps »

I can't believe that store made any money. It was the nasiest, messiest, dirtiest store I have EVER been in or seen. Glad it's gone. Has Superior kept up the store? Has it been remodeled?
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scanman2
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Re: Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Post by scanman2 »

Yes Superior did an excellent job remodeling the store. This is also Superiors test store for self-service checkout and so far the numbers show 32-35% of the customers are using the self service. Superior spends $3 million on a store remodel when they take over a store and $5 million on new grounder up buildings.
scanman2
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Re: Intriguing SoCal chain: Superior Super Warehouse

Post by scanman2 »

Just to let everybody know that I'm back at Superior now (3 years removed) and can give more 1st hand information without giving away any trade secrets of course lol! An update for the Gigante that Superior took over in Chino on Central and Philadelphia. Superior on Walnut and Central will not move after all and Superior will sublease the Central and Philadelphia building to Deardens (Latino furniture, electronics store).
Last edited by scanman2 on 09 Jun 2008 01:14, edited 1 time in total.
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