Rancho Cucamonga chain grocer history
Posted: 07 Jan 2009 14:40
I did some research and I found the following facts about the chain grocers in Rancho Cucamonga.
Vons #1914 - 6351 Haven Ave (at 210) - was Lucky since the mid 1980's until the 1999 FTC divestiture of Lucky/Albertsons. Initially, KV Mart (dba Top Valu) acquired the store but within the same year (2000), sold the rights to Vons (pre-Safeway). KV Mart acquired several Lucky locations but immediately sold the rights - an example is Azusa/San Bernardino in Covina.
Vons #2147 - 8778 19th Street (Alta Loma area) - original Vons store, built in the late 1970's. Historically, 19th St was the state highway prior to the 210 - it was State Route 30. Never seen the store but I think it is not the 1960's era type store that became most Big Lots locations.
Ralphs #717 - 7243 Haven Ave (at Baseline) - was Hughes. Most Hughes stores became Ralphs (example is Atlantic/Emerson in Monterey Park, where I used to sketch the logo on the A-frame sign when I was a little boy).
Ralphs Marketplace #700 - 12201 Highland Ave - opened in 2004 when the 210 Freeway and much of the Day Creek area/Victoria Gardens Mall developed. Highland (east of Haven), like 19th was part of State Route 30 and when the freeway was built, much of Highland was reconstructed into little frontage roads between Carnelian and I-15.
Ralphs #13 - 7369 Milliken Ave - original Ralphs store from the early 1990's. Together with South Haven, Day Creek, and the Foothill Food4Less, Kroger operates 4 stores in the city.
Albertsons #6520 - 11358 Kenyon Way - original Albertsons store from 1991, opened as store #1620 in the old Albertsons store numbering system.
Albertsons #6506 - 9743-9775 Baseline Road - also another original Albertsons store, opened in 1995. 9775 is a replacement store for 9743 Baseline, opened in 1979, now Dollar Tree #2445 UPDATE - 9743 is attached to the 99 Cents store/Rite Aid. I visited that store and it still has the blue-grey interior and 1997 layout. UPDATE AS OF FEBRUARY 2009 - store will be closing in April 2009.
Albertsons-Savon #6523 - 8808-8850 Foothill Blvd - was Lucky-Savon. This store includes Albertsons Express #1345 fuel station/C-store in the parking lot. Rather large store with the Quality Guaranteed decor package, no Lucky markers. Foothill is part of legendary Route 66 (State Route 66 today). The Express opened in about 2002 and replaced some functions of the 9743 Baseline store.
Stater Bros #78 - 9750 19th Street/Archibald - original store since 1981. That same year, Staters opened #93, 8770 Baseline.
Trader Joe's #217 - 6401 Haven Ave - opened in late 2008, replaced Payless Drug. UPDATE - This location is unusual because right next door (separated by a nail salon and Subway, is Vons. I talked to one lady at the samples kitchen and she admitted that it is strange to have two competing grocers side by side in the same shopping center but noted that Traders is "a different type of grocery store". The easternmost door, once part of Payless, is now for a vacant space available for lease.
Food4Less #328 - 12879 Foothill between Etiwanda and I-15, opened in 1994 as part of that huge shopping center with Walmart and Living Spaces Furniture. UPDATE - Together with the 3 Ralphs, The Kroger Company operates a total of 4 stores in RC.
Henry's Farmer Market - 7355 Day Creek Blvd - opened in 2007 by Wild Oats Markets after their acquisition of the Henry's chain. The company may have wanted to open this location as either Whole Foods or Wild Oats.
Smart & Final #467 - 8675 Baseline Road (at Carnelian), opened in 1991. UPDATE - This store, across the street diagonally from Stater Bros appears to be in a really old 1970ish shopping center. Alta Loma and Red Hill are the oldest residential sections of RC.
Looking for previous Alpha Beta/F.A.D stores, I found this:
HANNAM MARKET WORLD - 6753 Carnelian St, once was an Alpha Beta/Ralphs #611 and briefly a Lucky Farms (Chinese) since 2002. Had this location remained Ralphs, it would have been the 4th Ralphs store in RC. Hannam (Korean) is the sole Asian chain grocer in RC. They operate another store in Diamond Bar (60/Brea Canyon) in a former Albertsons that closed as part of the FTC divestiture.
Since the city incorporated in 1977 (a merger of the San Bernardino County unincorporated areas of Alta Loma, Etiwanda, and Cucamonga), I couldn't find any other legacy chains besides Lucky, Hughes, and Alpha Beta that once operated stores when it was a county area (Safeway, Thriftimart, Smith's Food King, Market Basket, Smith's Food and Drug).
luckysaver
Vons #1914 - 6351 Haven Ave (at 210) - was Lucky since the mid 1980's until the 1999 FTC divestiture of Lucky/Albertsons. Initially, KV Mart (dba Top Valu) acquired the store but within the same year (2000), sold the rights to Vons (pre-Safeway). KV Mart acquired several Lucky locations but immediately sold the rights - an example is Azusa/San Bernardino in Covina.
Vons #2147 - 8778 19th Street (Alta Loma area) - original Vons store, built in the late 1970's. Historically, 19th St was the state highway prior to the 210 - it was State Route 30. Never seen the store but I think it is not the 1960's era type store that became most Big Lots locations.
Ralphs #717 - 7243 Haven Ave (at Baseline) - was Hughes. Most Hughes stores became Ralphs (example is Atlantic/Emerson in Monterey Park, where I used to sketch the logo on the A-frame sign when I was a little boy).
Ralphs Marketplace #700 - 12201 Highland Ave - opened in 2004 when the 210 Freeway and much of the Day Creek area/Victoria Gardens Mall developed. Highland (east of Haven), like 19th was part of State Route 30 and when the freeway was built, much of Highland was reconstructed into little frontage roads between Carnelian and I-15.
Ralphs #13 - 7369 Milliken Ave - original Ralphs store from the early 1990's. Together with South Haven, Day Creek, and the Foothill Food4Less, Kroger operates 4 stores in the city.
Albertsons #6520 - 11358 Kenyon Way - original Albertsons store from 1991, opened as store #1620 in the old Albertsons store numbering system.
Albertsons #6506 - 9743-9775 Baseline Road - also another original Albertsons store, opened in 1995. 9775 is a replacement store for 9743 Baseline, opened in 1979, now Dollar Tree #2445 UPDATE - 9743 is attached to the 99 Cents store/Rite Aid. I visited that store and it still has the blue-grey interior and 1997 layout. UPDATE AS OF FEBRUARY 2009 - store will be closing in April 2009.
Albertsons-Savon #6523 - 8808-8850 Foothill Blvd - was Lucky-Savon. This store includes Albertsons Express #1345 fuel station/C-store in the parking lot. Rather large store with the Quality Guaranteed decor package, no Lucky markers. Foothill is part of legendary Route 66 (State Route 66 today). The Express opened in about 2002 and replaced some functions of the 9743 Baseline store.
Stater Bros #78 - 9750 19th Street/Archibald - original store since 1981. That same year, Staters opened #93, 8770 Baseline.
Trader Joe's #217 - 6401 Haven Ave - opened in late 2008, replaced Payless Drug. UPDATE - This location is unusual because right next door (separated by a nail salon and Subway, is Vons. I talked to one lady at the samples kitchen and she admitted that it is strange to have two competing grocers side by side in the same shopping center but noted that Traders is "a different type of grocery store". The easternmost door, once part of Payless, is now for a vacant space available for lease.
Food4Less #328 - 12879 Foothill between Etiwanda and I-15, opened in 1994 as part of that huge shopping center with Walmart and Living Spaces Furniture. UPDATE - Together with the 3 Ralphs, The Kroger Company operates a total of 4 stores in RC.
Henry's Farmer Market - 7355 Day Creek Blvd - opened in 2007 by Wild Oats Markets after their acquisition of the Henry's chain. The company may have wanted to open this location as either Whole Foods or Wild Oats.
Smart & Final #467 - 8675 Baseline Road (at Carnelian), opened in 1991. UPDATE - This store, across the street diagonally from Stater Bros appears to be in a really old 1970ish shopping center. Alta Loma and Red Hill are the oldest residential sections of RC.
Looking for previous Alpha Beta/F.A.D stores, I found this:
HANNAM MARKET WORLD - 6753 Carnelian St, once was an Alpha Beta/Ralphs #611 and briefly a Lucky Farms (Chinese) since 2002. Had this location remained Ralphs, it would have been the 4th Ralphs store in RC. Hannam (Korean) is the sole Asian chain grocer in RC. They operate another store in Diamond Bar (60/Brea Canyon) in a former Albertsons that closed as part of the FTC divestiture.
Since the city incorporated in 1977 (a merger of the San Bernardino County unincorporated areas of Alta Loma, Etiwanda, and Cucamonga), I couldn't find any other legacy chains besides Lucky, Hughes, and Alpha Beta that once operated stores when it was a county area (Safeway, Thriftimart, Smith's Food King, Market Basket, Smith's Food and Drug).
luckysaver