Central Florida Save A Lot stores to grow produce aisles with new owner
Save A Lot shoppers can expect renovated stores with a bigger selection of fresh vegetables and fruits after an Orlando company purchased nearly three dozen Florida stores from the discount grocer.
But the store’s name and value pricing should remain the same, the new owner said.
Ascend Grocery bought 33 stores from Save A Lot in December. They are in Orlando and its suburbs but also include locations as far away as Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Titusville, Palatka and Fort Pierce.
Ascend CEO Chris Sherrell did not disclose terms of the deal in a phone interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
Sherrell said the focus will be on remodeling and offering groceries that best serve local markets. He said the company has retained 400 Central Florida store employees.
He anticipates that produce sections will grow by 25% to 50% depending on the location. Meat departments will also increase, but not as much.
“I believe there’s absolutely huge opportunity to increase the offerings in produce,” he said. “We want to offer great produce sections at great prices, at great quality.”
Sherrell said he wants his company to be ahead of the game as customers buy healthier foods.
“I think it’s absolutely critical to the success of any grocery store going forward,” he said.
The move is just the latest sign of companies looking to serve more health-conscious consumers.
Produce-focused Sprouts Farmers Market is expanding in Florida, opening a new distribution center in Orlando last year. Restaurant diners are also
expected to want more healthy options in 2022.
Having more fruits and vegetables could matter in competitive situations with other discount grocers, said Axel Stock, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Central Florida.
“If I can be the discount store with fresher produce, I may win a certain clientele of customers,” Stock said.
Sherrell said the company will also work toward identifying the needs and preferences of neighborhoods around the stores.
For example, if a store serves a predominantly Hispanic community, that Save A Lot could offer more Goya brand products as well as more varieties of peppers and tomatoes, Sherrell said.
The goal for renovating the 33 stores is to be completed within 18 months, including improvements in signage and lighting, Sherrell said.
“We want to create a new shopping experience, something that will look like a new store,” he said.
The changes are part of a larger strategy for Save A Lot.
In December 2020, Save A Lot revealed it was planning to sell more than 300 company stores as it moved to a wholesale business, according to Supermarket News.
Stock said that licensing move is a possible way for the company to raise more capital.
The Missouri-based company said in a news release last July it was working with its independent license owners to modernize the chain’s look with renovations at all 1,000 locations by 2024. Those changes were expected to make Save A Lot stores brighter, with an easier-to-shop layout and new décor.