Rumor: Superfresh to be replaced by Trader Joes

**BarryG** · 11-18-2012, 10:19 PM

Heard this through a friend of a friend.

**thetalkingmule** · 11-18-2012, 11:48 PM

Don't play with my emotions Barry.

Edit: I see you prolly mean the 5th St one. That makes sense and would be a good spot for one. For a second, I thought you meant the 2nd & Girard SuperFresh which is neither super nor fresh.

**lucidinnature** · 11-19-2012, 01:05 AM

Trader Joe's has been working on getting into the neighborhood for a while. They were literally about an hour from signing a lease before, but receiving shipments was an issue. It could be that they either bought out a lease or something... but that is a pretty big spot for a trader joes, isn't it?

I wish they'd take over that horrendous cvs on 10th. Hell, any CVS since we have so many of them.

**lucidinnature** · 11-19-2012, 01:06 AM

Oh... just read mule's response. 5th street? That superfresh is always packed! Can't believe that they'd give that location up. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if that place does triple per sq. ft. when compared to the girard location.

**BarryG** · 11-19-2012, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by lucidinnature

Oh... just read mule's response. 5th street? That superfresh is always packed! Can't believe that they'd give that location up. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if that place does triple per sq. ft. when compared to the girard location.

Yes 5th St. No idea if it's true but it is a good size for TJs and small for a super fresh.

**lucidinnature** · 11-19-2012, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by BarryG

Yes 5th St. No idea if it's true but it is a good size for TJs and small for a super fresh.

Yeah, the 5th street location is a perfect location for a trader joes, but I'd be amazed to see them give up such a profitable spot. Even when I go in after work at 10-11pm, it always has more customers than the mega store on 2nd and girard. The entire staff has also been there longer than I can remember. The one obvious pain is when they do deliveries in that tight parking lot. Holy crap that place falls apart super fast.

**catmom3** · 11-19-2012, 08:23 AM

Dear Santa, for Christmas this year, I want this rumor to be true...

**mixiboi** · 11-19-2012, 12:45 PM

Wouldn't eat into sales at the Market St location?

**ScottBudman** · 11-19-2012, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by mixiboi

Wouldn't eat into sales at the Market St location?

I doubt this is going to happen. Didn't they just announce that they are expanding the Market street location.

**BarryG** · 11-19-2012, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by ScottBudman

I doubt this is going to happen. Didn't they just announce that they are expanding the Market street location.

It could but given the residential growth coming online around West Market, and that they aren't adding any parking there, there could very well be room for two and taking some pressure of the other location -- even with the expansion -- might be a good thing.

**lucidinnature** · 11-19-2012, 02:36 PM

As usual, I must play devil's advocate. Although seemingly a good thing, this would be bad for society hill and old city. People would praise it until they are spending 4 times more for basics like pet supplies, or twice as much for a prepared meal or toilet paper.

**ScottBudman** · 11-19-2012, 03:11 PM

Expansion.
Expansion on the Horizon for Trader Joe’s? | NakedPhilly

Are there any other cities besides New York that has more than one ?

**Jayfar** · 11-19-2012, 03:41 PM

This could make sense. It is known that SuperFresh is in the midst of further trimming, having announced just last week the closing of 3 stores in South Jersey.

Three Super Fresh stores in South Jersey to close - Philly.com

**OffenseTaken** · 11-19-2012, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by lucidinnature

As usual, I must play devil's advocate. Although seemingly a good thing, this would be bad for society hill and old city. People would praise it until they are spending 4 times more for basics like pet supplies, or twice as much for a prepared meal or toilet paper.

Nah: Trader Joe's isn't really expensive. Cat food is actually less there than it is at South Square, and only slightly more than at Shoprite (I forget how much it is at SuperFresh). Their cage-free eggs are the cheapest in Center City.

The main problem is that they're still just too quirky to be a fully-functioning supermarket. They almost never sell competing brands of anything, and far more of their shelf space is devoted to oddball impulse buys (like spreads and fancy cookies) rather than basics. For those, you often still have to go somewhere else.

For people in that neighborhood, that would likely mean a schlep down to the South Street SuperFresh, which I find to be quite poor.

**Jayfar** · 11-19-2012, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by OffenseTaken

Nah: Trader Joe's isn't really expensive. Cat food is actually less there than it is at South Square, and only slightly more than at Shoprite (I forget how much it is at SuperFresh). Their cage-free eggs are the cheapest in Center City.

The main problem is that they're still just too quirky to be a fully-functioning supermarket. They almost never sell competing brands of anything, and far more of their shelf space is devoted to oddball impulse buys (like spreads and fancy cookies) rather than basics. For those, you often still have to go somewhere else.

For people in that neighborhood, that would likely mean a schlep down to the South Street SuperFresh, which I find to be quite poor.

We've been shopping TJ's for at least half of our groceries and the prices aren't bad overall, but they do lack the non-food kitchen items you expect to find in a supermarket. For instance, need a roll of aluminum foil? Sorry, no gots.

**MarketStEl** · 11-19-2012, 06:01 PM

I usually describe TJ's as Aldi-meets-Whole Foods. (Literally: the German discount grocer is TJ's parent. The family tie is kept well disguised, however, lest TJ's customers get skeevy about it.)

The store is better understood as a specialty grocer than a supermarket. The reason they don't sell "competing brands" is because the chain follows the Aldi model of relying on private label merchandise at prices below what comparable products would sell for elsewhere.

I wonder whether A&P might not close the 5th and Pine store in hopes of driving customers to the two larger nearby locations (10th & South and 180 W Girard Ave), despite its profitability? Especially if 180 W. Girard is underperforming. I doubt 10th & South is.

**bluecuracao** · 11-19-2012, 06:27 PM

I really hope this happens soon. For what we like to buy at grocery stores, Trader Joe's is comparable in price if not cheaper than SuperFresh.

And I can't bring myself to shop at that particular SuperFresh anymore, ever since I noticed how they store their deli meats on that shelf behind the counter...and how they do that gross thing where they cover old, brown hamburger meat with fresher-looking pink meat. Blegh.

**BarryG** · 11-19-2012, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I usually describe TJ's as Aldi-meets-Whole Foods. (Literally: the German discount grocer is TJ's parent. The family tie is kept well disguised, however, lest TJ's customers get skeevy about it.)

The store is better understood as a specialty grocer than a supermarket. The reason they don't sell "competing brands" is because the chain follows the Aldi model of relying on private label merchandise at prices below what comparable products would sell for elsewhere.

I wonder whether A&P might not close the 5th and Pine store in hopes of driving customers to the two larger nearby locations (10th & South and 180 W Girard Ave), despite its profitability? Especially if 180 W. Girard is underperforming. I doubt 10th & South is.

I wonder how profitable it really is compared to their other stores. The business model of those kind of grocery stores has shifted to large format and full service.

Don't forget the location off of Columbus Blvd too.

**Queen Villager** · 11-20-2012, 03:21 AM

We shop at TJs, Whole Foods, Essene and the 5th and Pine Super Fresh. I hope the rumor is no more than that. TJs has some good, interesting offerings, but as others have stated here, it's not a normal supermarket. The 5th and Pine Super Fresh may not be the world's greatest grocery store, but Society Hill and Queen Village need to keep a good, regular supermarket in that location. A&P may be disappointed if they expect people in this neighborhood to head in droves by car to its other stores.

**londoner** · 11-20-2012, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by Queen Villager

We shop at TJs, Whole Foods, Essene and the 5th and Pine Super Fresh. I hope the rumor is no more than that. TJs has some good, interesting offerings, but as others have stated here, it's not a normal supermarket. The 5th and Pine Super Fresh may not be the world's greatest grocery store, but Society Hill and Queen Village need to keep a good, regular supermarket in that location. A&P may be disappointed if they expect people in this neighborhood to head in droves by car to its other stores.

You do know that there is a much larger super fresh directly across the street from the whole foods you shop at right?

The TJs on Market Street is so frequently crowded that they actually might be losing business. My wife routinely stands in line for 20+ minutes. 2 weekends ago, the line extended to the back of the store--and employees, realizing the nightmare, were serving cookies in the queue to soften the blow. It's now to a point where if you don't strategically choose a quiet time to go, it's just simply not worth the hassle.