Dave148 wrote:

Longtime Northwest Indiana grocery store chain Strack & Van Til is being acquired.

Iowa-based chain Hy-Vee is buying out the chain and the acquisition is expected to finalize in early May.

https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/nor ... -acquired/

Considering Strack’s is the only non-budget-brand grocery anywhere near me, this is NOT good news as far as I’m concerned. Strack’s isn’t anything special but it does stock good, fresh and plentiful produce; has a decent deli and international product aisle; and all the brands you’d expect from a mid-high end market. My only experience with HyVee was in LaSalle-Peru and it was strictly low end. No clue what that will mean here.

That is not good for you. In any industry, when a lower end operation buys a higher end operation, the higher end almost always becomes lower end. Kroger buying Mariano's is a great example.

I beg to differ on Hy-Vee. I've never been to the LaSalle/Peru store, but most of the other ones I've visited in Sycamore, Springfield, Kansas City have been on the upper side of the scale, nicer than most Jewel outlets and latter day Marianos. At one time some Hy-Vee locations had upscale restaurants in store. I believe that's been gone for several years.

Hi,

Hy-Vee is not to be considered a low-end operation. Whatever is/was going on in LaSalle-Peru is an exception.

The one I visit with any regularity is in Bloomington, IL. It has a restaurant, nice looking produce, prepared food, it reminds me of Byerly's in Minnesota.

Regards,
Cathy2

That’s very encouraging!! Strack’s is about as generic as you can get but there’s much worse out there. Glad to hear that HyVee won’t be worse and maybe even better!!

My three children all went to college in Iowa. 2 in Iowa City and 1 in Davenport. It was the go to grocery for all three. I have shopped at several different HyVee's in the Quad Cities and in Iowa City. Simply put, I like HyVee better than Jewel, Marianos, Whole Paycheck, Berkots, or any of the stores I frequent on the southwest burbs.

My kids swear by the food bar. My BBQ loving son who is still at the University of Iowa thinks the brisket, tips, and wings smoked on weekend at his local HyVee are great!

I have been to at least 20 HyVee stored in Iowa and Nebraska and I have found them to be excellent. I would prefer to stop at ANY HyVee for lunch or dinner over the restaurants as the prepared food is that good.

A SVT store is closest to my home; actually only a few blocks away, so when we need something on short notice it's our first stop. However, it's not the cheapest option or the location offering more upscale items...it's just convenient. In my experience they are on par with Jewel. Meijer has more sku's and is cheaper; Aldi is definitely cheaper, but with far fewer items; WFM obviously more expensive.
But their customer service is fantastic; friendly, helpful folks who remember your name after a few visits, and their deli counter and prepared foods are adequate. Recently we wanted to truss a chicken for roasting, then found we had no twine. Headed to SVT where the butcher gladly snipped off a few feet for us.
Added note: Meijer is opening three supercenters with more square footage than the average Costco warehouse. So HyVee is not the only chain expanding.

And now my husband is telling me that it wasn’t a HyVee at all that I’m thinking of—it was Save-A-Lot—and that the HyVee was very nice (and I was never in it). So apologies for the undeserved HyVee disparagement and my sh*tty memory

Oh, wow! Save A Lot, the store that's so junky even desperate food desert dwellers don't want it. Originally a limited assortment sort of a competitor to Aldi, Save A Lot got much worse while Aldi became substantially more upscale. But Save A Lot did have a few innovations, such as a partnership with Dollar Tree to add a full grocery department to dollar stores (now defunct.) And an interesting leased Latino deli and bakery at the Kenosha Save A Lot (also now defunct, maybe even demolished.)

tjr wrote:Oh, wow! Save A Lot, the store that's so junky even desperate food desert dwellers don't want it. Originally a limited assortment sort of a competitor to Aldi, Save A Lot got much worse while Aldi became substantially more upscale. But Save A Lot did have a few innovations, such as a partnership with Dollar Tree to add a full grocery department to dollar stores (now defunct.) And an interesting leased Latino deli and bakery at the Kenosha Save A Lot (also now defunct, maybe even demolished.)

Six Save A Lot grocery stores across the South and West sides could reopen this fall, nearly two years after parent company Yellow Banana announced plans to renovate them.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/08/12 ... of-delays/

Dave148 wrote:

tjr wrote:Oh, wow! Save A Lot, the store that's so junky even desperate food desert dwellers don't want it. Originally a limited assortment sort of a competitor to Aldi, Save A Lot got much worse while Aldi became substantially more upscale. But Save A Lot did have a few innovations, such as a partnership with Dollar Tree to add a full grocery department to dollar stores (now defunct.) And an interesting leased Latino deli and bakery at the Kenosha Save A Lot (also now defunct, maybe even demolished.)

Six Save A Lot grocery stores across the South and West sides could reopen this fall, nearly two years after parent company Yellow Banana announced plans to renovate them.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/08/12 ... of-delays/

Yellow Banana-operated Auburn Gresham supermarket reopens after more than two years of pushed dates

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/ ... hed-dates/