Homeland Stores

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Just curious if the Homeland stores in OK are partially owned by Safeway, or if there are Safeway owned stores (under other names, like in California they own Vons) now that Albertsons bought Safeway for $9 Billion in cash and stock.

I ask because where I live in Oregon there used to be Albertsons and they left here a few years ago, but now the three Safeway stores will now be Albertsons.

Albertsons is now making a bid to be the top grocer and knock off Kroger from the number one spot.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-safeway-albertsons-merger-20140307,0,2474407.story#axzz2vGRnCSpG

[DolfanBob]

My Mother worked for Safeway back in the day. She also was there when the Oklahoma division of Homeland came in and renamed the stores.
My Brother in-law worked for Skaggs Alpha-Beta and then Skaggs Albertsons and was gone by the time it became just Albertsons.

Reasors has pretty much put the Kibosh on any grocery stores in North East Oklahoma. But mainly the Tulsa and surrounding area. They just purchased I believe 3 Albertson locations in Tulsa. Aside from Wal Mart. Reasors is it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_(supermarket)

Just as a side note: We all thought that Food Lion was going to be the next big thing here after they came in and spent huge money building all new stores from the ground up. That all came crashing down with the 1992 Dateline story about bleaching spoiled meat and selling it for a higher price at the deli counter.

[Conan71]

No idea.  All the Safeways became Homeland at some point in the late '70's or early '80's and I don't recall why just that it happened after the meat cutter strike. Not sure if that had anything to do with it (i.e. bankruptcy, come out as a different entity to escape certain financial obligations).

[swake]

Homeland is a Oklahoma City company that bought the Oklahoma Safeway stores back in the late 80s I think. Albertson's pulled out of Oklahoma when the chain was really in trouble 5-10 years ago and Homeland then also bought the Oklahoma City Albertson's stores. Tulsa's Albertson's became Food Pyramid, which was a chain out of Missouri, and that chain has since has pulled out of Tulsa selling some stores to Reasor's and closing the rest in the last year.

Homeland stores are dirty and awful and the last one closed in the Tulsa area a couple of years ago. There are no Safeway stores or even former Safeway stores left in Tulsa that I know of.

[DolfanBob]

Did I read that Piggly Wiggly is making a comeback?

[Weatherdemon]

Did I read that Piggly Wiggly is making a comeback?

How many of those are still around?
I know of one in Collinsville but that's it.

[Rookie Okie]

Homeland stores are dirty and awful and the last one closed in the Tulsa area a couple of years ago.

Indeed there is a filthy one still operating in Bartlesville.

[moosedaddy]

There is a new Homeland store in Pryor, they closed their old location around Christmas.  It is in the old Wal-Mart location next to Tractor Supply on highway 69.

[swake]

What is it with Oklahoma City based retail chains being dirty?

Homeland stores are filthy, Braum's are often really dirty, Love's Country Marts are usually filthy and while I wouldn't call Hobby Lobby stores dirty they are often run down and messy. I've never been inside a Sonic so I have no idea how clean they are.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Thanks for the info guys. I will say this about Love's, I remember when they started becoming popular back in the late 80's early 90's, and yeah they did seem to be "dirty", but the ones out here in AZ, CA, and OR are actually pretty nice, and I actually stop there on road trips over other places. I remember when I think it was the employees that bought the Safeway stores and they became Homeland although they still carried Safeway brand products at the time. I always thought they went south after that change and became one step above Warehouse Market.

As for Albertsons, I can remember when it was Katz, then Skaggs, Skaggs Alpha-Beta, the very brief time they were Jewell Osco, Skaggs Albertsons, and then Albertsons. I have to say that Albertsons was my preferred store when I lived in AZ, they were less expensive than Safeway (they were really proud of their prices) and on par with Kroger (they bought four different chains (Fry's, Smiths, Smitty's and Fred Meyer) and actually made a difference.

Reasor's reminds me of Basha's in AZ. A homegrown store that has grown and done well since the 30's.

Was just curious if Safeway still had ties to OK.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Just as a side note: We all thought that Food Lion was going to be the next big thing here after they came in and spent huge money building all new stores from the ground up. That all came crashing down with the 1992 Dateline story about bleaching spoiled meat and selling it for a higher price at the deli counter.

Interesting back story there, I bet....  since WalMart and Warehouse Mkt also have the heavily chlorinated aroma from time to time - have never smelled it from Reasor's....there are worse things you can do to meat than give it a bleach bath....

[Rookie Okie]

What is it with Oklahoma City based retail chains being dirty?

Homeland stores are filthy, Braum's are often really dirty, Love's Country Marts are usually filthy and while I wouldn't call Hobby Lobby stores dirty they are often run down and messy. I've never been inside a Sonic so I have no idea how clean they are.

Maybe there's not enough bleach left for cleaning stores if it's being used to clean meat.

[Conan71]

Thanks for the info guys. I will say this about Love's, I remember when they started becoming popular back in the late 80's early 90's, and yeah they did seem to be "dirty", but the ones out here in AZ, CA, and OR are actually pretty nice, and I actually stop there on road trips over other places. I remember when I think it was the employees that bought the Safeway stores and they became Homeland although they still carried Safeway brand products at the time. I always thought they went south after that change and became one step above Warehouse Market.

As for Albertsons, I can remember when it was Katz, then Skaggs, Skaggs Alpha-Beta, the very brief time they were Jewell Osco, Skaggs Albertsons, and then Albertsons. I have to say that Albertsons was my preferred store when I lived in AZ, they were less expensive than Safeway (they were really proud of their prices) and on par with Kroger (they bought four different chains (Fry's, Smiths, Smitty's and Fred Meyer) and actually made a difference.

Reasor's reminds me of Basha's in AZ. A homegrown store that has grown and done well since the 30's.

Was just curious if Safeway still had ties to OK.

When I went to the NASCAR races at PIR, I thought it was pretty cool Basha's set up a complete, functional grocery store in a tent on the grounds to serve the fans who camp out for the weekend.  I have never seen that at a sports venue before or since.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

When I went to the NASCAR races at PIR, I thought it was pretty cool Basha's set up a complete, functional grocery store in a tent on the grounds to serve the fans who camp out for the weekend.  I have never seen that at a sports venue before or since.

Basha's has been doing that for several years, they have a good tie to PIR. My ex's maternal grandfather started a produce distribution company in PHX back in the 30's and helped Basha get going. The Basha's are very much like the Reasor's.

[rdj]

Homeland has around 45 stores.  In NE Oklahoma they are in rural markets.  Was in Cleveland recently and they have a store there.

They are partially owned by the employees, but really they are owned by Associated Wholesale Grocers out of Kansas City, KS.  AWG is a coop owned by their member retailers that wholesales groceries to family owned chains.  Reasors is actually one of their members.