SuperFreshes-turned Shoppers

 In 2002, after SuperValu's acquisition of Richfood (and underlying grocer Shoppers) and the demise of SuperFresh grocery stores in the immediate Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Shoppers bought out four former SuperFresh stores.

Centreville, VA

Photo credit: MJHale (Michael's Retail Photos)

One half of the first pair of former SuperFreshes, this store started as that in early 1997. This store presumably shuttered in 2000-2001 (being short-lived). Out of the four (eventually five), this one is the only one to have been built with this particular SuperFresh design/layout.
This location relocated from a "classic" smaller Shoppers opened in the early 1990s, to showcase newer Shoppers ideals. Like the rest, this one reopened doors with a later variant of the classic interior decor. This store finished an interior remodel in 2009, and remains a destination for local customers.

California, MD

 

The store before its' first renovation. Photo credit: Shoppers (shoppersfood.com)

Down in the middle of nowhere southern tip of Maryland, this store started life as an ordinary SuperFresh. Closing like the others in the early 2000s, this store opened along with the Centreville store. Unlike that location, it remodeled twice: once around 2007 to the mid-2000s package, and again in fall 2014 to the current interior. This store is notable for having a large expanse of open-truss ceiling.

Forestville, MD

This one opened with the Ashburn store in Fall 2002, starting as another 1990s SuperFresh. This store remodeled at the same times as the California store, however it has a different layout.

Ashburn, VA (former)

The store presently as Global Food, in 2013.

Opening in 1996 as a SuperFresh, this store was one of the last casualties of SuperFresh's mass closings. Shoppers took the space in Fall 2002 in a rather hidden location. Unfortunately, the store closed on February 20, 2009 and later became a Global Food international foodstore. Global Food retains the same decor package, but only with minor adjustments!
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The faltering A&P chain (parent of SuperFresh) declared bankruptcy in 2011 (not its' last) and was forced to sell dozens of locations in Maryland. While some were closed without a successor, some were swallowed up by other chains such as ShopRite, Fresh & Greens (which itself failed), and of course, Shoppers.

Ellicott City, MD (former)

The store still open in 2013.

SuperFresh closed on July 6, 2011 to signify the start of the Shoppers transition. The pharmacy remained open while the opening remodel started. On July 17, 2011, this store finally opened up as Shoppers while remodeling continued. This store lasted while Walmart expanded their location up the street to a Supercenter, thus stealing competition. Shoppers announced the closure of this store on September 16, 2014, and closed on October 18th (a month before the projected date). This store has since become a relocated H Mart, with most of the decor remaining.

There you have it, a week's worth of quality original content from the one and only, and this post. We may do a new post on any random day, so be sure to come back and check up on new and old favorites!

(Soon to be former) Shoppers - Woodbridge, VA

Second one by me! If you got the hint right, you've got it. Even if you lost, I invite all for the tale of the wooden bridge to the food. Bad puns aside...

Woodbridge, VA (Store #2361)

Store Info

• Location: 14000 Shoppers Best Way, Woodbridge, VA 22192
• Opened: ca. 1994
• Closing: Feburary 2016
• Remodeled: Yes (2006)
• Interior packages: Shoppers Club theme, Mid-2000s theme (with "SFW" version of the current logo) (current)
• Features: Pharmacy, Shoppers Café, Deli, Seafood, Bakery/Colossal Donuts, International, Health & Beauty, Beer & Wine

As mentioned in a previous post, Shoppers came to Woodbridge in the late 1980s with a location along Smoketown Road. With the Smoketown Stations development as a counterpart to burgeoning Potomac Mills Mall, Shoppers relocated to a bigger store with more features. One of the first Shoppers Club stores, this store brought in brand-new groundbreaking components to this chain, such as Shoppers Café coupled with an expanded inventory of prepared foods, club paks, and other expansions in general. You probably knew that by now, though.

As usual, this store withstood more growth around and recieved a major remodel in 2006 once SuperValu's changes took effect. A new facade was installed to replace the original overhanging "lattice" on the exterior, with new signage. Inside, space was made for vastly expanded international and health & beauty sections near the pharmacy. Other missions were accomplished with a more upscale refresh and departments designed to cater to "specialty", while evoking classic Shoppers still.

I finally decided to visit this store in late 2014, however I wasn't that impressed with what I saw. By the time I made a return in January 2016, just a week before the big announcement, they had cleaned up some of the grime. Today, we'll go take a virtual walkthrough, with shelves still full.

 In the right-hand vestibule, the store fire alarm map is displayed. This was most likely updated sometime in the store's lifetime.

No views of the perishables area, but looking here on the "Fresh Cuts" meat area. This corridor's shape resembles that of a classic Shoppers Food Warehouse store. My good Flickr friend MJHale also took a picture of the "Smart Shoppers Shop Shoppers" slogan to the right.

The international section is pictured here. As I said, this strongly resembles the Dumfries store, however this takes up 4 whole aisles! So much for the smaller end. Quite impressive indeed.

 

Bordering the meat corridor, some coolers for the "World Marketplace" international section, selling international goods.

Focusing on the store's "center aisle" (a feature of some Shoppers), some more aisles and a baby products section are showcased.

Backtracking to near the pharmacy, the product signs have been replaced, and the large overhead sign removed. The bank also closed to the left. Otherwise, this is a nice typical health & beauty section.

From my original visit, the glorious front end is pictured. One thing to note is that some of the policy signs have been removed, which indicated a remodel (to my perceptions). However, this package has stayed until the end.

Back to the "now", the corner of the front end is pictured with an emergency exit. The "Thank you for shopping Shoppers Food & Pharmacy" sign had been enlarged in this package.

Leaving the store, here are two pictures from my maiden voyage. Note that the cart corrals were only recently replaced from a faded plastic design.

On January 20, 2016, Shoppers sadly announced the closure of this store in preparation for a future Hobby Lobby outlet. This move was made due to the increase of competition by local neighbors Walmart and Wegmans over the past several years. What's strange is that this was 10 days after my visit, and just before Snowzilla 2016! Shoppers must have planned this well.

Anyways, as we bid farewell to the store in the coming days, you can always look back at this store's 20+ year legacy as a cornerstone grocer in the Woodbridge area. The memory lives on here and as always, sound off!

BatteryMill out. :)

BatteryMill's Top 10 Favorite Shoppers Exteriors

Not stuff from this "list". Credit: Shoppers

Salutations, fellow reader. In this post, we will salute my top ten favorite Shoppers exteriors. Well, yeah, we might be getting a bit too over-specific, but this will just be a simple journey down awesomeness lane. Enjoy!

10. Falls Church (Seven Corners), VA

This Shoppers Club-era store is more than meets the eye. An otherwise typical prototype-like store is disguised with a nice big-boxy facade of the 90s. This is all mixed in with Classic Shoppers at the time. The real highlight here have to be the pure colors. How does such scheme make you feel like you're in a town? :P

9. Clinton, MD

Shoppers did well on being modern then. This one's really giving me that Giant vibe, but that's all cool. When I think of that era, I think of this one sometimes.

8. Annapolis, MD

Credit: Will (B-More Retail)

A prime example of modern shopping center architecture, this one makes Shoppers look rather luxury-like. It may have not been a good thing for the chain, but it's proveable it can be done in any circumstance with corner architecture.

7. Bowie, MD

Credit: MJHale (Michael's Retail Photos)

Another product of Shoppers' 2000s era, a more industrial look returns here. Still, it can even look more relaxed from other perspectives. Not everything Shoppers these days has to be that bad!

6. Essex, MD

Dating back to the 1950s as a classic Food Fair grocery store, this one is here because it's really reminiscent of Metro and has a good interior as well. Plus a nice night view too!

5. Alexandria (Potomac Yard), VA

Credit: Shoppers

One of the largest Shoppers, both inside, outside (and mabe even by perception) packs a punch at classic railway architecture. This one can look memorable anytime, though I have to argue it was better back when in the Shoppers Club era.

4. Baltimore (Mondawmin), MD

This modern in Shoppers had a ton of influences from the local, department store, mall, and other architectural scenes. A prominent stature revitalizes Shoppers' feel as a grocer throughout time, which made this an excellent choice for this spot. However, the competition is nigh...

3. Lorton, VA

...as more of these step up to bat. Originally once a planned Safeway (interesting fact of the day!), a village look reflects Shoppers' impact in this era, even for its' subpar present day. We've got just the right amount of detail here, not too tacky yet reflecting of anything sugar and spice. I got that wrong, but it's nice. :)

2. Dumfries, VA

The classic. Another one from the mid-2000s. "Another one"? Well, well, let's get serious.
You know it was my last post, so we mentioned some of the detail. It's even more nicely detailed here, proportionally in every corner, shape or size. Overall, memorable strikes again. But really...

1. College Park, MD

 I have to apologize. This is the real MVP of the post.

A staple of the Shoppers Club these days, another big-boxy look done right. Looking like a modern-industrial infusion, this one's still fine after all. Heck, it even kept the good old logo for 14 years. This is the type of heavy-duty shopping that makes Shoppers fun! :P

Anyways, yeah, sorry if it's rushed, but you know, it's done now. Stay tuned for more!

Hint (my posts): It's a shuttering door. To a bridge made of wood.

Shoppers - Laurel, MD

Centre at Laurel, 13600 Baltimore Ave #100, Laurel, MD 20707


This is actually one of two Shoppers stores in Laurel MD. The other location on Fort Mead Road will be covered in the future.

This Shoppers was opened December 4, 2005 and recently received the newest decor from Supervalu. It actually doesn't look half bad in this store. The store was holding a Grand Reopening the day I visited. 


So lets step inside...

The first thing you see is the broad expanse of the produce department, looking straight back to the bakery.

Not the clearest picture, but it gives you an idea of how the produce is laid out. What's that in the far right? It's the Laurel Cafe!

Shoppers stores tend to have these seating areas up front.

The Deli also shares the same general space with the produce department. The new decor looks great in this store.'
Now lets head onto the rest of the store...

The first aisles you run into are for the International foods section. It's a much more subdued application from what Shoppers has done in the past.

Now for a general look along the back of the store. With the new renovation, Shoppers has installed more refrigeration cases with doors.

Looking at the warehouse like shelving on the endcaps.

Individualized department signage for Pets.

Beverages in the front corner of the store.

Upgraded Pharmacy.

Front end and checkouts.

Shoppers - Dumfries, VA

Okay, readers. Sorry for such a long delay on this one, especially with our epic snow storm that could have given me great mileage for posts. Oh well, you guessed it, this will be the snow storm of our posts.
This time, though, we're delving into what makes us, us: We'll be doing comprehensive overviews of stores, similar to fashion as blogs such as Acme Style and Albertsons Florida Blog. Enjoy.

Dumfries, VA (Store #2381)

Store Info

• Location: 4174 Fortuna Center Plaza, Dumfries, VA 22025
• Opened: June 2005
• Remodeled: Yes (September 2015)
• Interior Packages: Mid-2000s 2.0 (with "SFW" version of the current logo), SuperValu "Fresh and Healthy" Package (current)
• Features: Pharmacy, Shoppers Café, Deli, Seafood, Bakery/Colossal Donuts, International, Health & Beauty, Beer & Wine

Along burgeoning Route 234 (Dumfries Road), this store attracts a portion of customers daily with its' prime location and appeal to local denizens.
Originally hinted at sometime in 2004, this center was going to be developed by Barrie Peterson. However, Regency Centers took over the center during construction and opened it in 2005, along with this Shoppers in June.

While I didn't get a chance to visit this store until 2014, I was impressed with the amount of stuff from the mid-2000s that Shoppers had in here. First off, what an elegant exterior this store has! There's a lot of nice detail to it throughout, which really makes it memorable. The fruit sculpture... just awesome. Right? :P

Anyways, let's get to the photos.

The "Please Pick Up Cart Here Before Entering" sign in front of the store. One thing to note, the arrow dates back to the pre-SuperValu days, while the sign still remains (albeit in a different form).

Slightly rare, this logo was used for Shoppers in the mid-2000s (being a variant of the current logo). It was dropped to conceal the "Shoppers Food Warehouse" name. The orange variants were all discontinued after the conclusion of this package in 2008.

Entering the store to the right, you can see the expansive perishables area containing produce, deli, seafood, and the bakery in the alcove. This area is vastly expanded from the pre-SuperValu era as more is featured and an open-air layout is employed. This layout inverts the deli/seafood and produce to opposite sides, and pushes the customer service desk to the front windows. The lowered ceiling near the deli is also a remnant from Shoppers Club.

Ahh, the Shoppers Café. One can say that this is a representation of the excessive orange in this package; otherwise, viva eating (if you're an employee, mostly :P). Introduced in Shoppers Club (again), this is... well... a seating area. For eating. Otherwise, this place might have been dramatically changed with the recent remodel.

I'll have to say, as anything, Shoppers did a stellar job with this international section. Really the place to get all your spices/ingredients/foods/whatever from around the world. This was changed a bit later, but what is today does not compare to this. I said it.

The famous triangular aisle markers, introduced in the mid-90s with Shoppers Club, again. Throughout some upgrades, it came to this. The aisle markers here are in between aisles, have a slogan in the back, and can light up underneath sometimes.

The dairy section located inside Shoppers. The concept has not changed much for years, however coolers have been introduced over time. The coolers to the left have most likely been replaced with the remodel.

With this decor package, Shoppers implemented a vastly redesigned health and beauty section to compete with pharmacies and other retailers like Giant, which also launched a similar design in 2001. I really love this round sign, it brings me back to the heyday of this package as well.

Rounding out the interior of the store, a look at the front end of the store. One thing to note is that the original design of white/orange checklights remain, however the numbers are black. You can also see a few signs and other things we missed in the store.

To conclude this post today, another look at the nice store from outside.

So there you have it, our inaugural comprehensive store tour here on the Shoppers Food Blog. I will invite you to see all the posts this week, so check them out!

Next post hint: A list of shopping.