More on Albertson's

The AZ Republic follows up with an article today about the closing of Albertson's. Here is the article in full:

Beck Sayarath opened Guy & Gal Salon in the shopping center at Cooper and Ray roads last month partly because an Albertsons supermarket was there.

Now the grocery store will close in late July or early August, said Jeanette Duwe, an Albertsons spokeswoman.

The Albertsons in Lakeview Village at Morrison Ranch, a shopping center at Higley and Elliot roads, is also closing, as are several others around the Valley. The other three Gilbert locations will remain open, Duwe said.

Duwe said the company will work to market both Gilbert locations for a new tenant. She said the company owns the Ray Road store and leases the store at Higley and Elliot.

Sayarath advertises to help attract customers to the salon, but said the business benefited from the shoppers Albertsons drew. "I thought Albertsons was going to bring me business," Sayarath said. "I wouldn't have opened if I had known Albertsons was going away."

Joe Utley, one of the three owners of Golf Etc. in the shopping center, said he'll likely be less affected by Albertsons closing because of his customer base.

When asked what he'd like to see move into the space, Utley said he was flexible.

"I think just about anything other than a 99 cent store would work there," he said.

Albertsons shoppers Thursday reacted differently to news of its closure.

Marie Curran, 46, of Mesa, said she was shocked and thought the closing would hurt the center.

"They seemed like they were secure," Curran said. "Usually when a big store closes, a lot of the other little ones don't get as much business."

Janet Oliver, 48, of Gilbert, said she didn't think the Albertsons was doing that much business anyway.

Scott Morrison, a partner in Morrison Ranch, said more than 700 homes are expected to be built behind the store, which will help any replacement for Albertsons and the other tenants in the center.

"I think the small shops will probably do just fine," Morrison said. "I hope we can get another grocer in there soon."

Albertsons Inc. was sold last week to three buyers. SuperValu Inc. purchased 1,100 stores, but none in Arizona, Duwe said. Albertsons LLC, a Boise, Idaho, company owned by Cerberus Capital Management, purchased about 661 stores, including all stores in the Southwest. CVS/Pharmacy purchased all stand-alone Osco Drug and Savon drugstores.

"Our plan is to focus on the stores we have remaining and do what we can to make them as profitable as possible," Duwe said.

She said that will include providing more competitive prices and fresher bakery goods, meat and produce.

"Because we will be a smaller company, we can make decisions closer to the consumer," Duwe said.

The Mister mentioned that the paper called him for a response, and I see his quote made it into the piece. And so the saga continues...