Sav-A-Center

The Sav-A-Center name was first used for a chain of supermarkets in the greater New Orleans, Louisiana, area starting in the 1980s. The division operated throughout Louisiana, and also had stores in Mississippi.{{Cite web |date=September 13, 1999 |title=A&P KNOTS SCHWEGMANN UNITS DEAL |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/grocery-operations/a-p-knots-schwegmann-units-deal |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=King |first=Ronette |date=September 15, 2007 |title=Rouses to buy out area Sav-A-Centers |url=http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/rouses_to_buy_out_area_savacen.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007180447/http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/09/rouses_to_buy_out_area_savacen.html |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |website=Nola.com |publisher=The Times-Picayune}}{{Cite web |last=Barmash |first=Isadore |date=June 7, 1986 |title=A LEAN A.&P. FLEXES MUSCLES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/07/business/a-lean-a-p-flexes-muscles.html |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=The New York Times}} In addition, the Sav-A-Center division included three regular A&P stores, one of which was a small "corner grocery" in the French Quarter of New Orleans that A&P had been operating since 1931.{{Cite web |last=Merrefield |first=David |date=October 1, 2007 |title=A&P Completes Strategic Retrenchment to the Northeast |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/grocery-operations/a-p-completes-strategic-retrenchment-to-the-northeast |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}}

When Schwegmann filed for bankruptcy in 1999, A&P purchased six stores to add to its Sav-A-Center division. In April 2004, A&P purchased four New Orleans stores from Albertsons with the intention of converting them under the Sav-A-Center banner.{{Cite web |last=Boss |first=Donna |date=April 26, 2004 |title=ALBERTSONS EXITS NEW ORLEANS MARKET |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/independents-regional-grocers/albertsons-exits-new-orleans-market-2004-04-26-2- |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}} By this point, A&P had 28 such stores in the New Orleans area. In May, the company announced a restructuring plan that would limit A&P to the East Coast region, and the Sav-A-Center stores.{{Cite web |date=2005-05-11 |title=A&P's Posts Better 4Q Results, Plans 'Major Strategic Restructuring' |url=https://progressivegrocer.com/aps-posts-better-4q-results-plans-major-strategic-restructuring |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Progressive Grocer |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Springer |first=Jon |date=May 16, 2005 |title=HAUB SEEKS TO CREATE A 'NEW A&P' |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/center-store/haub-seeks-to-create-a-new-a-p- |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}}

In August 2005, many stores sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Twenty-one stores reopened within a few months of the storm; two others following remodeling to repair flood damage. Five stores were closed permanently due to severe damage to the stores and surrounding areas.{{Cite web |title=To All SAV-A-CENTER Associates: |url=http://www.savacenter.com/sac_associates.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061229210200/http://www.savacenter.com/sac_associates.asp |archive-date=December 29, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2024 |website=Savacenter.com}}{{Cite web |last=Tortoreto |first=Marc |date=2006-08-28 |title=AFTER THE STORM |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/archive/after-storm |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Supermarket News |language=en}} In April 2007, the chain exited the Baton Rouge area.

By May 2007, A&P announced that it was planning to exit the New Orleans area, and was seeking buyers for its 21 remaining Sav-A-Center stores. A&P cited the need to focus on its operations in the Northeast, and its merger with Pathmark, as the reason for the sale.{{Cite web |last=Springer |first=Jon |date=2007-06-04 |title=A&P Exits New Orleans To Focus on Northeast |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/ap-exits-new-orleans-focus-northeast |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Supermarket News |language=en}}

It was announced in September 2007 that the remaining Sav-A-Center stores would be sold to the locally owned Rouses chain. Rouses took over 16 Sav-A-Center stores, including the Mississippi stores and the French Quarter A&P, sold one to competing chain Breaux Mart, and closed the others.{{Cite web |last=Daniel |first=Robert |date=September 16, 2007 |title=A&P to sell 21 Sav-A-Center units, complete non-core sales |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ap-to-sell-21-sav-a-center-stores-complete-non-core-asset-sales |access-date=September 1, 2024 |website=Market Watch}}{{Cite web |last=Springer |first=Jon |date=September 24, 2007 |title=Rouses Doubles in Size With Purchase of Sav-A-Center {{!}} Supermarket News |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/rouses-doubles-size-purchase-sav-center |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}}

File:sacstore.jpg of an A&P Sav-A-Center store]]

The Sav-A-Center name was also added to many of A&P's Northeastern and mid-South Atlantic stores in the 1980s. In 1981, A&P purchased 17 Stop & Shop locations in New Jersey{{Cite web |last=McTaggart |first=Jenny |last2=Goldschmidt |first2=Bridget |date=January 18, 2022 |title=100 Years of Food Retailing: 1982-1991 |url=https://progressivegrocer.com/100-years-food-retailing-1982-1991 |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Progressive Grocer |language=en}} and rebranded several under the Sav-A-Center branding.{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2008 |title=150 Years of A&P: A Timeline |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/finance/150-years-of-a-p-a-timeline |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}} After the sale, A&P found itself sharing strip-mall space with many Bradlees stores, which at the time were owned by Stop & Shop. When A&P took over the supermarkets, a common wall was built to separate the businesses. In many areas, including Tidewater region/Hampton Roads, Virginia, in North Carolina, plus most of A&P's Northeastern area, traditional A&P stores were remodeled as Sav-A-Centers; the classic A&P sign's red, orange, and yellow colors became shades of kelly green.

In the Northeast, the former Stop & Shop stores were larger than most of the traditional A&P stores. The company tried to use the Sav-A-Center conversion as a part of its "We've Built a Proud New Feeling" campaign, which was created to shed the company's high-price, stodgy perception. The campaign featured images of larger, cleaner, modern-style stores, happy, upscale-looking shoppers, and friendly, cooperative staff. (It was during this time that A&P debuted its Futurestores.) The Sav-A-Center stores were renovated with oversized graphics of fresh-looking produce and baked goods; they also were outfitted with IBM-POS checkouts. However, A&P had trouble shedding its high-price perception; gradually, the low-volume Sav-A-Centers lost sales and shoppers to stores such as Pathmark and NYC area-leader ShopRite. Some of the stronger Sav-A-Centers survived, but many eventually closed, or were re-branded as A&P Food Market in the 1990s or as Food Basics in the 2000s.

After A&P purchased the Kohl's Food Stores chain, based in Wisconsin,{{Cite news |last=Ap |date=1983-08-16 |title=A. & P. to Acquire Kohl's From Batus |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/16/business/a-p-to-acquire-kohl-s-from-batus.html |access-date=2024-09-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} some of those stores were re-branded as Kohl's Sav-A-Center. These stores were later re-branded as Kohl's Food Market or Kohl's Food Emporium before that chain went under.

In the 1980s and 1990s A&P rebranded many locations of its Southern United States The Family Mart chain as Family Mart Sav-A-Center.http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1987&view=next A&P/Family Mart

Beginning in the late 1980s, A&P Canada opened several stores in the Toronto area under the Sav-A-Centre name. Its logo was the same as the American Sav-A-Center, with the exceptions of being red rather than green.

A&P purchased 92 Dominion stores in 1985.{{Cite web |last=Condon |first=George |date=May 19, 2013 |title=The long lost ghost of Dominion |url=https://canadiangrocer.com/long-lost-ghost-dominion |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Canadian Grocer |language=en}} By the late 1990s, some stores were rebranded as Dominion Sav-A-Centre.{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2019 |title=Metro workers in Ontario ratify new collective agreement |url=https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/labour-relations/metro-workers-in-ontario-ratify-new-collective-agreement/320896 |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.hrreporter.com |language=en}} In August 2005, A&P sold its Canada operations to Metro and the stores were all converted by 2009.{{Cite web |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |date=August 8, 2005 |title=METRO TO BECOME ONTARIO POWERHOUSE VIA A&P ACQUISITION |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/mergers-acquisitions/metro-to-become-ontario-powerhouse-via-a-p-acquisition |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Times |first=Cambridge |date=2009-04-30 |title=Metro food stores takes over A&P |url=https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/business/metro-food-stores-takes-over-a-p/article_f71bbd48-a4d4-5fe8-96d6-785618db4926.html |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Cambridge Times |language=en}}

In March 2007, A&P purchased Pathmark.{{Cite web |last= |date=2007-03-05 |title=A&P Agrees To Buy Pathmark For $677.3 Million |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2007/03/05/ap-agrees-to-buy-pathmark-for-6773-million.html |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=CNBC |language=en}} A few months later, Rouses Markets bought 19 Sav-A-Center and A&P stores from A&P, including the historic location in New Orleans' French Quarter.{{Cite web |last=Springer |first=Jon |date=2007-09-24 |title=Rouses Doubles in Size With Purchase of Sav-A-Center |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/finance/rouses-doubles-in-size-with-purchase-of-sav-a-center |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}} In June 2008, Pathmark introduced a "price impact" store concept, under the Pathmark Sav-A-Center brand. This format was introduced to remodeled stores in Irvington and South Edison, New Jersey.{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2008 |title=A&P-owned Pathmark's First Price Impact Store Opens |url=https://progressivegrocer.com:2087/ap-owned-pathmarks-first-price-impact-store-opens |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=Progressive Grocer}}

After the success of these stores, A&P announced it would rebrand 16 Pathmark Super Centers, and eight of the 13 Philadelphia-area A&P Super Fresh stores as Pathmark Sav-A-Center stores.{{Cite web |date=2008-06-27 |title=A&P to Switch Most Philly SuperFresh Stores to Pathmark Sav-A-Centers |url=https://progressivegrocer.com/ap-switch-most-philly-superfresh-stores-pathmark-sav-centers |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Progressive Grocer |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Panaritis |first=Maria |date=2008-06-26 |title=Pathmarks, some Acmes to get new name |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/business/homepage/20080626_Pathmarks__some_Acmes_to_get_new_name.html |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=The Philadelphia Inquirer |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Boss |first=Donna |date=June 30, 2008 |title=A&P Takes Price-Impact to Philly |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/finance/a-p-takes-price-impact-to-philly |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.supermarketnews.com |language=en}} In addition, A&P's website later rebranded Pathmark as Pathmark Sav-A-Center.{{Cite web |title=Pathmark Sav-A-Center |url=http://pathmark.com/default.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113033437/http://pathmark.com/default.asp |archive-date=January 13, 2010 |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=Pathmark.com}}

• List of Canadian supermarkets

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.rouses.com Rouses Website]

{{The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company}}

{{Supermarkets of the United States}}

Category:Defunct supermarkets of Canada

Category:Defunct supermarkets of the United States

Category:The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company