New Grocery Store Pt. 2 – a Non-Denial Denial?

Follow up to Sunday’s story: I got in touch with Henry’s Farmers Markets, an alternative grocery chain that many SCVTalk readers said they were hoping would move into part of the old Mervyn’s space.

I asked Janet Little, Henry’s spokeswoman, whether they “planning on opening a market in Santa Clarita.” I also asked if they were in discussions for any spaces in Santa Clarita.

Here’s her reply:

Hi Jeff:

Yes we’re looking within the greater LA area for new stores; however, we have not signed an agreement in the Santa Clarita area. Once anything has been signed, we will post it on our website at www.henrysmarkets.com.

Janet Little CN

Henry’s Farmers Market

I asked her for clarification; pending that, this reads like a classic non-denial denial. They are looking for stores in “Greater Los Angeles,” but haven’t signed an agreement in Santa Clarita yet. Which means they could be in discussions for part of the Mervyn’s space.

On the other hand, recall that in Josh Premako’s original article, the city says part of the space has already been leased out to the “specialty grocery store.”

Maybe I’m speculating too much but it’s easy to get excited about new grocery stores in town, especially one that might compete with Trader Joe’s hegemony and is closer to us Newhallians.

I’ll post more when I know it!

Comments (8)

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUTOctober 13, 2009 at 2:27 pm

I’m surprised you haven’t gone over to City Hill and requested the name of the “specialty grocery store” through a FOI request. That in itself should provide the answer. The p.r. hack at Henry’s/Smart &Final gave you an answer that any company would if they are not ready to make an announcement. Most companies keep information keep information like that to themselves for competitive reasons. Often times, information on a new business can be had from City Hall, as most is public record. The “tea leaves” in the the retail slut world show the space as Sprouts Farners Markets. Sprouts owners sold Henry’s to what was then Wild Oats who was acquired by Whole Foods who then sold Henry’s to Apollo Capital who merged it with Smart & Final. It is strange when discussing Fresh & Easy that up to this point, they have not announced any plans for store locations in the Santa Clarita or Antelope Valleys. Ironically, they have announced or have opened stores in just about every area of the Los Angeles area, including Ventura County, Inland Empire, Desert Cities, High Desert and San Diego County. Even Bakersfield, Delano and portions of the central coast have seen Fresh & Easy open, but not in Santa Clarita. I still say once the legal wrangling between Tresierras and the developer is finished, the what was supposed to be new Tresierras spot would be perfect for Fresh & Easy. That area of south Newhall lacks a market of decent size near those neighborhoods. In many ways, Santa Clarita is luckey to have so many chains competing for everyones food dollars. The downside is, some of the locations are not performing. Now, look at Supervalu-owned and sister to Albertsons Bristol Farms on Newhall Ranch. The store is practically empty of customers. I wonder how long Supervalu holds out before pulling the plug? As for Henry’s and Sprouts, their prices are generally lower than Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. Fresh & Easy is in another category, but not the same as Trader Joe’s (although frequently compared to TJ’s), and with lower overall prices than chain store competitors. Sprouts is my bet to take a portion of the former Mervyn’s space. Let’s see who wins this contest, the liberal blogger, or the retail slut…lol P.S. Watch for Safeway to quietly change the remaining Pavilions stores to Vons in early 2010. The ads have already been combined. SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

JeffOctober 13, 2009 at 2:34 pm

As usual, you rock my world SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT BTW, I did ping the city about this and they predictably didn’t respond. No time to actually…you know…visit City Hall

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUTOctober 13, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Jeff, As a follow-up, you know when I walk into either Henry’s or Sprouts, their stores are bright, lively and fun to shop in. I usually find some kind of new product to try, and their employees are friendly! To me, Sprouts is really a carbon copy of Henry’s, but both are fine stores. I attribute the similarities of Sprouts to the legacy of the Boney family when they owned and operated Henry’s. When I walk into either Whole Foods, Bristol Farms or even Gelson’s (none in Santa Clarita), I feel as though I am not receiving real value for my money, organic or not. Yes, Whole Foods does have a private label organics line, but they are still more expensive as compared to the big chains and their private label organics. In Santa Barbara, a few years ago before Albertsons was acquired by Supervalu, they acquired a one-store operation by the name of Lazy Acres. http://www.lazyacres.com . Albertsons placed Lazy Acres under Bristol Farms management, but has basically left the store alone. At Lazy Acres, it’s as if you are shopping at a world bazaar, and left with a good feeling that you’re not being fleeced by the prices, unlike their corporate sister, Bristol Farms. Lazy Acres would be a great fit for Santa Clarita, but so would Henry’s, Sprouts, and for that matter, another Trader Joe’s and Costco on the westside, and for those who are price sensitive, Winco Foods. In my opinion, Supervalu would do well by converting the Valencia Bristol Farms location into Lazy Acres, and recreate the store as a true destination, instead of just another overpriced store that is not compelling enough to shop at (Bristol Farms). We have enough of those. My mantra is that it shouldn’t bankrupt you to eat healthy! That’s why I’m a cheap retail slut…lol SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

WalkerOctober 13, 2009 at 6:49 pm

Sprouts makes sense for the space/market, too (but I’d prefer Henrys any day!). I highly doubt it’s Fresh&Easy. They have made no attempt to enter the SCV market despite presence elsewhere in the area and they haven’t done well at all in their CA venture. The SCV market is prime for a TJs like competitor and both Henrys and Sprouts fit the bill, fit the description of the space, and fit the label ’specialty grocer’.

Linda SlocumOctober 14, 2009 at 10:09 am

Bristol Farms actually has some good produce choices at times, but the rest of the store fails to interest me. Seems they could save that location by analyzing what sells (and what doesn’t) and reorganizing the store and their product selections accordingly.

saugusladyOctober 14, 2009 at 11:04 am

I received this e-mail from Henry’s Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate your interest in our company. Henry’s is searching for sites in all of California. We don’t have anything breaking ground in Santa Clarita at this time but, we are always looking at potential real estate for future growth. Of course, we are anxious to serve this area, and hope to secure the right location in the near future. Sincerely, David Vine Director of Real Estate Henry’s Farmers Market Thank you again, Erika Maring Customer Service Henry’s/Sun Harvest HenrysInfo@henrysmarket.com 15420 Laguna Canyon Rd. Ste;150 Irvine, Ca. 92618 877-743-6797

Valencia JoeOctober 14, 2009 at 11:39 am

The problem with Bristol Farms (and its apparant failure) is timing. It opened at the wrong time in our economy. The developer has somewhat a blame in this in that it took them a very long time to finally finish Bristol Farms. It was in pretty sad state the minute it opened. If one remembers (less than a year ago!), it had different hours than it has now. I remember that there hours were reduced less than a month after it opened, and this was during the holidays. A staff member said that the store was not performing as expected. That could have been expected in the bad economy. Outside of its speciality items, it offered the same products as the local Vons and Ralphs does, but at a substantial higher price. In order for this particular store to survive, it needs to eliminate the common product and focus on the speciality items. There is no reason that Bristol Farms needs to fail. I have been in their South Pasadena and Thousand Oaks locations, and those places are PACKED! But, it all boils down to timing… the developer took too long to finish it, and it opened in one of the worst economic times that we have had.

CCOctober 14, 2009 at 1:09 pm

I remember I needed to pick up some chocolate chips for holiday baking. Since a regular Nestle bag was over $5 bucks, I put it down and haven’t been back to the store.

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUTOctober 13, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I’m surprised you haven’t gone over to City Hill and requested the name of the “specialty grocery store” through a FOI request. That in itself should provide the answer. The p.r. hack at Henry’s/Smart &Final gave you an answer that any company would if they are not ready to make an announcement. Most companies keep information keep information like that to themselves for competitive reasons. Often times, information on a new business can be had from City Hall, as most is public record. The “tea leaves” in the the retail slut world show the space as Sprouts Farners Markets. Sprouts owners sold Henry’s to what was then Wild Oats who was acquired by Whole Foods who then sold Henry’s to Apollo Capital who merged it with Smart & Final. It is strange when discussing Fresh & Easy that up to this point, they have not announced any plans for store locations in the Santa Clarita or Antelope Valleys. Ironically, they have announced or have opened stores in just about every area of the Los Angeles area, including Ventura County, Inland Empire, Desert Cities, High Desert and San Diego County. Even Bakersfield, Delano and portions of the central coast have seen Fresh & Easy open, but not in Santa Clarita. I still say once the legal wrangling between Tresierras and the developer is finished, the what was supposed to be new Tresierras spot would be perfect for Fresh & Easy. That area of south Newhall lacks a market of decent size near those neighborhoods. In many ways, Santa Clarita is luckey to have so many chains competing for everyones food dollars. The downside is, some of the locations are not performing. Now, look at Supervalu-owned and sister to Albertsons Bristol Farms on Newhall Ranch. The store is practically empty of customers. I wonder how long Supervalu holds out before pulling the plug? As for Henry’s and Sprouts, their prices are generally lower than Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. Fresh & Easy is in another category, but not the same as Trader Joe’s (although frequently compared to TJ’s), and with lower overall prices than chain store competitors. Sprouts is my bet to take a portion of the former Mervyn’s space. Let’s see who wins this contest, the liberal blogger, or the retail slut…lol P.S. Watch for Safeway to quietly change the remaining Pavilions stores to Vons in early 2010. The ads have already been combined. SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT
JeffOctober 13, 2009 at 2:34 pm
As usual, you rock my world SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT BTW, I did ping the city about this and they predictably didn’t respond. No time to actually…you know…visit City Hall
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUTOctober 13, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Jeff, As a follow-up, you know when I walk into either Henry’s or Sprouts, their stores are bright, lively and fun to shop in. I usually find some kind of new product to try, and their employees are friendly! To me, Sprouts is really a carbon copy of Henry’s, but both are fine stores. I attribute the similarities of Sprouts to the legacy of the Boney family when they owned and operated Henry’s. When I walk into either Whole Foods, Bristol Farms or even Gelson’s (none in Santa Clarita), I feel as though I am not receiving real value for my money, organic or not. Yes, Whole Foods does have a private label organics line, but they are still more expensive as compared to the big chains and their private label organics. In Santa Barbara, a few years ago before Albertsons was acquired by Supervalu, they acquired a one-store operation by the name of Lazy Acres. http://www.lazyacres.com . Albertsons placed Lazy Acres under Bristol Farms management, but has basically left the store alone. At Lazy Acres, it’s as if you are shopping at a world bazaar, and left with a good feeling that you’re not being fleeced by the prices, unlike their corporate sister, Bristol Farms. Lazy Acres would be a great fit for Santa Clarita, but so would Henry’s, Sprouts, and for that matter, another Trader Joe’s and Costco on the westside, and for those who are price sensitive, Winco Foods. In my opinion, Supervalu would do well by converting the Valencia Bristol Farms location into Lazy Acres, and recreate the store as a true destination, instead of just another overpriced store that is not compelling enough to shop at (Bristol Farms). We have enough of those. My mantra is that it shouldn’t bankrupt you to eat healthy! That’s why I’m a cheap retail slut…lol SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT
WalkerOctober 13, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Sprouts makes sense for the space/market, too (but I’d prefer Henrys any day!). I highly doubt it’s Fresh&Easy. They have made no attempt to enter the SCV market despite presence elsewhere in the area and they haven’t done well at all in their CA venture. The SCV market is prime for a TJs like competitor and both Henrys and Sprouts fit the bill, fit the description of the space, and fit the label ’specialty grocer’.
Linda SlocumOctober 14, 2009 at 10:09 am
Bristol Farms actually has some good produce choices at times, but the rest of the store fails to interest me. Seems they could save that location by analyzing what sells (and what doesn’t) and reorganizing the store and their product selections accordingly.
saugusladyOctober 14, 2009 at 11:04 am
I received this e-mail from Henry’s Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate your interest in our company. Henry’s is searching for sites in all of California. We don’t have anything breaking ground in Santa Clarita at this time but, we are always looking at potential real estate for future growth. Of course, we are anxious to serve this area, and hope to secure the right location in the near future. Sincerely, David Vine Director of Real Estate Henry’s Farmers Market Thank you again, Erika Maring Customer Service Henry’s/Sun Harvest HenrysInfo@henrysmarket.com 15420 Laguna Canyon Rd. Ste;150 Irvine, Ca. 92618 877-743-6797
Valencia JoeOctober 14, 2009 at 11:39 am
The problem with Bristol Farms (and its apparant failure) is timing. It opened at the wrong time in our economy. The developer has somewhat a blame in this in that it took them a very long time to finally finish Bristol Farms. It was in pretty sad state the minute it opened. If one remembers (less than a year ago!), it had different hours than it has now. I remember that there hours were reduced less than a month after it opened, and this was during the holidays. A staff member said that the store was not performing as expected. That could have been expected in the bad economy. Outside of its speciality items, it offered the same products as the local Vons and Ralphs does, but at a substantial higher price. In order for this particular store to survive, it needs to eliminate the common product and focus on the speciality items. There is no reason that Bristol Farms needs to fail. I have been in their South Pasadena and Thousand Oaks locations, and those places are PACKED! But, it all boils down to timing… the developer took too long to finish it, and it opened in one of the worst economic times that we have had.
CCOctober 14, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I remember I needed to pick up some chocolate chips for holiday baking. Since a regular Nestle bag was over $5 bucks, I put it down and haven’t been back to the store.