The middle class continues to erode. The middle class of supermarkets, that is. While mega stores Wegmans, Walmart and Costco expand, and space savers Aldi, Sav-A-Lot and Bottom Dollar attract more customers, 45,000 square foot stalwarts Acme, Super Fresh and Genuardi’s keep closing.
The latest news is that Acme will close five area stores next month. What’s interesting is that traditional grocers Shoprite and Giant continue to have success, sometimes in the same neighborhood (or same exact store) as the grocer that couldn’t survive. This isn’t about real estate; we are seeing a classic management case study play out before our very own eyes.
The following Acme locations will go dark by the end of February:
Limerick, PA
Wayne, PA
Cinnaminson, NJ
Millville, NJ
Moorestown, NJ
Shaw’s Supermarkets, which, like Acme, is a division of Minneapolis, MN-based Supervalu, will also close five stores during the same time frame. Three of the stores are in Massachusetts and two are in Rhode Island.