Western Supermarkets: Difference between revisions

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Correction to corporate office location link)
No edit summary
 
(30 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:Western logo.jpg|right]]
[[File:1969 Western Super Markets logo.jpg|right|250px]]
'''Western Supermarkets''' is [[Birmingham]]'s largest locally-owned grocery store chain. Currently, '''Western Supermarkets, Inc.''' operates stores under the Western Supermarket, '''FoodSmart by Western''', and '''The Village Market''' brands. The corporate headquarters is located at 2614 [[19th Street South Homewood|19th Street South]] in [[Homewood]].
[[File:Western Supermarkets logo.jpg|right|250px]]
[[File:Western Market logo.jpg|right|250px]]
'''Western Supermarkets Inc.''' was a grocery store chain based in [[Birmingham]] which operated stores under the '''Western Market''', '''FoodSmart by Western''', '''Food Depot''', and '''The Village Market''' brands.  


Western Supermarket was founded in [[1948]] by [[Inos Allen Heard]] and [[Stewart Yerton]] with the opening of a store in [[Five Points West]]. In [[1987]], [[Ken Hubbard]] and [[Ed Goodwin]] bought the company from Heard.  Hubbard is currently the sole owner and CEO of the company. [[Darwin Metcalf]], previously manager of the [[Mountain Brook Village]] store, is president and chief operating officer.
Western Supermarkets was founded in [[1948]] by [[Inos Allen Heard]] and [[Stewart Yerton]] with the opening of their butcher shop in [[Five Points West]]. The [[Western Supermarket Corporate Office|corporate headquarters]] was located at 2614 [[19th Street South Homewood|19th Street South]] in [[Homewood]].


In [[1998]], Western was the number three grocery chain in Birmingham.
In [[1987]], [[Ken Hubbard]] and [[Ed Goodwin]] bought the company from Heard. Hubbard, who started working as a bagger at Western in the 1960s, took over as sole owner and CEO of the company. [[Darwin Metcalf]], previously manager of the [[Mountain Brook Village]] store, was president and chief operating officer.


In [[2001]], in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the [[Festival Center]] location in [[Eastwood]] to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring are the [[Mountain Brook]] store's extensive wine shop and the [[Highland Avenue]] location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Publix surpassed Western as the number five grocery chain in Birmingham in [[2003]].
In [[1998]], Western was the third largest grocery chain operating in Birmingham. In [[2001]], in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the [[Festival Center]] location in [[Eastwood]] to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring were the [[Mountain Brook]] store's extensive wine shop and the [[Highland Avenue]] location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Western dropped to sixth among grocery chains operating in the city in [[2003]].


2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in [[Bluff Park]], after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since [[1967]].  
2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in [[Bluff Park]], after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since [[1967]].  
In [[2016]], the Mountain Brook Village store moved to a new location in the [[Lane Parke]] development. The original store, opened in [[1959]], closed at the end of the day on [[October 8]] and the ribbon cutting for the new store took place on [[October 13]]. The new store, at 28,300 square feet, was about 5,000 square feet larger than the old one. The Lane Parke store offered an expanded deli and meat section, a mezzanine with a dining area, fresh-baked cookies, [[Heavenly Donut Company|Heavenly Donuts]], a growler station with 12 beer taps, and a small conference room available for community meetings.
In [[2019]], Western closed all stores. The Lane Parke location was converted to a Publix Greenwise Market and the Village Market in East Lake was sold to Harvest Market.


== Locations ==
== Locations ==
* [[Five Points West]] (opened 1948)
* 116 South 26th Street, [[Leeds]] (opened January 23, 1963)
* [[Highland Plaza]], 2230 [[Highland Avenue]], [[Southside]] (closed 2019)
* [[Crestwood Shopping Center]], 5512 [[Crestwood Boulevard]] (opened 1957 as 4th location)
* [[Mountain Brook Shopping Center]], 2717 [[Culver Road]] (opened 1959, closed 2016)
* 945 [[Main Street (Gardendale)|Main Street]], [[Gardendale]] (opened 1961; converted to Food Depot in 2009; closed March 24, 2018)
* 1620 [[Pinson]] (1957)
* 3592 [[Pelham Parkway]], [[Pelham]] (opened 1960s, closed February 2017)
* 770 [[Shades Mountain Plaza]], [[Bluff Park]] (1967-2001)
* [[Vestavia Hills Shopping Center]], 612 [[Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills)|Montgomery Highway]]
* 2512 [[Rocky Ridge Road]], [[Vestavia Hills]] (relocated to Morgan Drive)
* 3150 [[Green Valley Road]], [[Cahaba Heights]] (closed 2005)
* 220 [[Main Street (Trussville)|Main Street]], [[Trussville]] (closed 1990s)
* 1916 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (closed 1980s)
* 3350 [[Morgan Drive]], [[Vestavia Hills]] (bought from [[Winn-Dixie]] in 1996, remodeled 2014, closed 2019, demolished for new Publix supermarket)
* [[Crestwood Festival Center]], 7309 [[Crestwood Boulevard]] (rebranded as FoodSmart in 1998)
* 7737 [[2nd Avenue South]], [[East Lake]]: (rebranded as The Village Market in 1998, bought by [[Harvest Market]] in 2019)
* 1887 [[Hoover Court]], [[Hoover]] (closed 2003, demolished for a new Publix Supermarket)
* 5960 [[Chalkville Mountain Road]], [[Trussville]] (closed 2005)
* [[Lane Parke]], 1000 [[Jemison Lane]], [[Mountain Brook]] (opened 2016, converted to Publix GreenWise Market in 2019)
* 3201 [[Avenue W, Ensley]]


=== Current locations===
== Gallery ==
* Western Supermarket
<gallery>
** [[Gardendale]] (945 [[Main Street Gardendale|Main Street]])
File:Western Supermarket at Highland Plaza.jpg|The Highland Plaza store in 2006
** [[Highland Avenue]] (2230 Highland Avenue)
File:Western Market Mountain Brook 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook exterior in 2018
** [[Mountain Brook]] ([[Mountain Brook Shopping Center]], 2717 [[Culver Road]])
File:Western Market Mountain Brook interior 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook interior in 2018
** [[Rocky Ridge]] (3350 [[Morgan Drive]], [[Vestavia Hills]])
</gallery>
* FoodSmart by Western
** [[Festival Center]] (7309 [[Crestwood Boulevard]])
** [[Pelham]] (3592 [[Highway 31]] South)
* The Village Market
** [[East Lake]] (7737 [[2nd Avenue South]])


=== Former locations ===
== References ==
* [[Bluff Park]] (770 [[Shades Mountain Plaza]], [[1967]]&ndash;[[2001]])
* "At Age 50, Western Savors Role of Home-Owned Supermarket" (July 28, 1998) {{BN}}
* [[Cahaba Heights]] (3150 [[Green Valley Road]], closed [[2005]])
* Mahoney, Ryan (October 31, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/11/03/focus3.html Western Supermarkets carves niche market]." {{BBJ}}
* [[Center Point]] (1916 [[Center Point Parkway]], closed 1980s)
* "About Western Supermarkets" at westernsupermarkets.com - accessed December 11, 2006
* [[Crestwood Shopping Center]] (5610 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], opened [[1957]] as 4th location)
* Mahoney, Ryan (December 5, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/12/08/story6.html Publix passes Western in local grocery wars]." {{BBJ}}
* [[Five Points West]]
* "Neighborhood Loses Only Grocery" (July 13, 2001) {{BN}}
* [[Hoover]] (1887 [[Hoover Court]], closed [[2003]])
* Williams, Roy L. (August 20, 2008) "Western Supermarkets hits 60-year milestone."  {{BN}}
* [[Trussville]] (5960 [[Chalkville Mountain Road]], closed [[2005]])
* Hubbard, Russell (May 31, 2009) "Birmingham Western Supermarkets CEO Ken Hubbard says local flavor still works as larger rivals knock each other off." {{BN}}
* Smith, Adam (June 17, 2009) "[http://www.njeffersonnews.com/news/local_news/store-has-new-name-new-look/article_d5ff5885-09a5-5575-bdf6-0192f58db778.html Store has new name, new look]." {{NJN}}
* Turcsik, Richard (October 1, 2014) "[http://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/lone-ranger The Lone Ranger]" ''Winsight Grocery Business''
* Poe, Kelly (December 9, 2014) "Who goes grocery shopping at 2:45 a.m.? My night at the Western." {{BN}}
* Poe, Kelly (October 7, 2016) "[http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2016/10/mountain_brook_western_market.html Mountain Brook Western Market announces grand opening]" {{BN}}
* Steere, Tim (January 19, 2017) "Suburban grocery store to close" {{BBJ}}
* Thornton, William (January 4, 2019) "Western Supermarkets closing marks end of era." {{BN}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
Line 37: Line 65:
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/western.htm Western Supermarkets page] at Birmingham Rewound
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/western.htm Western Supermarkets page] at Birmingham Rewound


== References ==
[[Category:Grocery store chains]]
* "At Age 50, Western Savors Role of Home-Owned Supermarket" (July 28, 1998)  ''Birmingham News''
[[Category:Former grocery stores]]
* Mahoney, Ryan (October 31, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/11/03/focus3.html Western Supermarkets carves niche market]." ''Birmingham Business Journal''
[[Category:Highland Plaza]]
* "[http://www.westernsupermarkets.com/aboutus.php About Western Supermarkets]."  Western Supermarkets - accessed December 11, 2006
[[Category:Rocky Ridge Square]]
* Mahoney, Ryan (December 5, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/12/08/story6.html Publix passes Western in local grocery wars]." ''Birmingham Business Journal''
[[Category:Lane Parke]]
* "Neighborhood Loses Only Grocery" (July 13, 2001) ''Birmingham News''
[[Category:1948 establishments]]
* Williams, Roy L. (August 20, 2008) "Western Supermarkets hits 60-year milestone."  ''Birmingham News''
[[Category:2019 disestablishments]]
* Hubbard, Russell (May 31, 2009) "Birmingham Western Supermarkets CEO Ken Hubbard says local flavor still works as larger rivals knock each other off." ''Birmingham News''
 
[[Category:Grocery stores]]

Latest revision as of 13:39, 11 January 2021

1969 Western Super Markets logo.jpg
Western Supermarkets logo.jpg
Western Market logo.jpg

Western Supermarkets Inc. was a grocery store chain based in Birmingham which operated stores under the Western Market, FoodSmart by Western, Food Depot, and The Village Market brands.

Western Supermarkets was founded in 1948 by Inos Allen Heard and Stewart Yerton with the opening of their butcher shop in Five Points West. The corporate headquarters was located at 2614 19th Street South in Homewood.

In 1987, Ken Hubbard and Ed Goodwin bought the company from Heard. Hubbard, who started working as a bagger at Western in the 1960s, took over as sole owner and CEO of the company. Darwin Metcalf, previously manager of the Mountain Brook Village store, was president and chief operating officer.

In 1998, Western was the third largest grocery chain operating in Birmingham. In 2001, in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the Festival Center location in Eastwood to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring were the Mountain Brook store's extensive wine shop and the Highland Avenue location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Western dropped to sixth among grocery chains operating in the city in 2003.

2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in Bluff Park, after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since 1967.

In 2016, the Mountain Brook Village store moved to a new location in the Lane Parke development. The original store, opened in 1959, closed at the end of the day on October 8 and the ribbon cutting for the new store took place on October 13. The new store, at 28,300 square feet, was about 5,000 square feet larger than the old one. The Lane Parke store offered an expanded deli and meat section, a mezzanine with a dining area, fresh-baked cookies, Heavenly Donuts, a growler station with 12 beer taps, and a small conference room available for community meetings.

In 2019, Western closed all stores. The Lane Parke location was converted to a Publix Greenwise Market and the Village Market in East Lake was sold to Harvest Market.

Locations

Gallery

  • The Highland Plaza store in 2006

    The Highland Plaza store in 2006

  • Mountain Brook exterior in 2018

    Mountain Brook exterior in 2018

  • Mountain Brook interior in 2018

    Mountain Brook interior in 2018

References

External links

Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Western_Supermarkets&oldid=174840"