Sav-A-Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sav-A-Center is an A&P-owned chain of 22 supermarkets in the greater New Orleans, Louisiana metropolitan-area. The division operates locations throughout Louisiana and has 4 stores in Mississippi. (Three other stores in the Sav-A-Center area operate as A&Ps.)
[edit] A&P Sav-A-Center
The Sav-A-Center name was also added to many of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company's northeastern and Mid-South Atlantic stores in the mid-1980s, shortly after A&P purchased Stop & Shop's NYC-Metro division. Many of these Stop & Shop stores had previously been part of their supercenter program, where Stop & Shop paired its Bradlees discount department stores with its Stop & Shop supermarkets to form early supercenters. When the stores were sold to A&P, a common wall was built, and two separate stores were formed. In other areas, such as Tidewater/Hampton Roads, VA and North Carolina, traditional A&P Stores were remodeled as Sav-A-Centers and the traditional A&P sign's orange, red and yellow colors were all turned shades of kelly green.
In the Northeast, the purchased Stop & Shop stores were newer and larger than most of the traditional A&P stores, and the company tried to use the Sav-A-Center conversion as a part of their "We've Built a Proud New Feeling" campaign, which was created in an attempt to shed the company's high-price, stodgy perception. The campaign featured images of larger, cleaner, modern-style stores and happy, upscale-looking shoppers and friendly, cooperative staff. (It was during this time that A&P debuted its legendary A&P Future Stores.) The Sav-A-Center stores were completely renovated with oversized graphics of fresh-looking produce and baked goods and were outfitted with IBM-POS checkouts. But A&P had a hard time shedding its high-price perception and year after year, the low-volume Sav-A-Centers lost sales and shoppers to stores such as Pathmark and NYC area-leader ShopRite (Wakefern retailers' cooperative). Some of the stronger stores survived wave-after-wave of store closings and re-organizations, but many eventually closed or were re-branded in the mide-late 90's as A&P Food Market. In the case of A&P's Southeastern and Carolina Divisions, they were sold in 1998.
[edit] Former Locations
- Armonk, New York: Now a Food Emporium
- Bloomfield, New Jersey: Now an A&P Food Market
- Barnegat, New Jersey: Now an A&P, still retaining its green roof.
- Clark, New Jersey: Store was vacant for about 5 years; recently, it was razed and a new A&P Fresh Market was built.
- Clifton, New Jersey: Former Bradlees-Stop & Shop Supercenter--Store was divided after both A&P and Bradlees went out of business; Kohls, Famous Footwear, and Jembro occupy the combined space now.
- Croton On Hudson, New York: Now an A&P.
- Fairview, New Jersey: Now an A&P.
- Fanwood, New Jersey: Now an A&P.
- Fort Lee, New Jersey: Was converted to Food Emporium's only New Jersey store in 1998. Store was subsequently converted to an A&P Fresh market in 2006.
- Greenburgh, New York: Store is still operating with its old "A&P Sav-A-Center" sign.
- Kenilworth, New Jersey: Now a Super A&P Food Market.
- Kinnelon, New Jersey: Now a Rag Shop Crafts Store.
- Mahopac, New York: Now a Super A&P Food Market.
- Marlboro, New Jersey: Now an A&P but store still retains its kelly green Sav-A-Center roof.
- North Brunswick, New Jersey: Former Bradlees/Stop & Shop Supercenter; After both Bradlees and the A&P Sav-A-Center closed, the stores were vacant for years before being demolished and replaced with a new shopping center.
- Passaic, New Jersey: Now a Food Basics.
- Paterson, New Jersey: Now a Food Basics.
- Peekskill, New York: Still operating with its old Sav-A-Center sign.
- Pleasant Valley, New York: Now a Super A&P Food Market.
- Staten Island, New York: Changed to a Waldbaum's then became a Kam Man Food for less than a year, currently vacant.
- Wallington, New Jersey: Now a Food Basics.
- Wayne, New Jersey: There were 2 A&P's in Wayne. The Valley Road location was an A&P Futurestore (still identified by its dramatically slanting fascade), eventually became a Sav-A-Center , and is now an A&P Food Market. The Route 23 location was a former Bradlees-Stop & Shop Supercenter--and is now a Kohls.
- West Paterson, New Jersey: A&P closed its old location after new store was built on adjacent lot; is half-occupied by Party City; the other half, a former Harrow's store, is vacant.
- Westwood, NJ: Store is now a Trader Joes/A&P Warehouse Liquors
- Yorktown Heights, New York: Now an A&P Fresh Market.
