Bottom Dollar Stores Closing

[Towntalk]

Just checked the Vindy directory and they have no one specifically assigned to business news any more.

[Towntalk]

Red flags were flying all over the place ... sky rockets were shooting up ... Why wasn't the media here pursuing these reports ... Oh wait a minute, the same thing happened way back when the Sheet and Tube was about to close and George Reese (Vindicator) sat on the story till Black Monday. He was the Industry Editor for the Vindicator and was caught with his pants down around his knees when he was sent to the press conference making the announcement.
There was no excuse for the articles that I linked to to slip by the Business Editor of the Vindicator.

[Peggy Gurney]

Good article.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/nov/07/residents-officials-worry-over-impact-grocery-clos/

[Peggy Gurney]

In the works.  Nothing was finalized until now.

[Towntalk]

What I don't understand is why we are just now hearing about it when it was being reported that this was in the works as early as August 20th.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Bottom-Dollar-stores-are-For-Sale-report.html



http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/the-next-move/2014/08/report-bottom-dollar-grocery-stores-could-be-sold.html?page=all



http://www.progressivegrocer.com/industry-news-trends/regional-supermarket-chains/bottom-dollar-stores-sale

[Peggy Gurney]

I'm not aware of Bottom Dollar paying Sparkle anything.  I heard that Sparkle decided to close that location due to competition.
Of course that's just what I heard, doesn't mean it's true.

[Towntalk]

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/11/06/Bottom-Dollar-to-sell-all-66-stores-to-ALDI-PIttsburgh/stories/201411060276?ClearCache=1

[northside lurker]

If that's true, Bottom Dollar had to have paid the owner of Sparkle Market a whale of a lot of money considering the fact that each Sparkle Market building is owned by the people who run the store unless they are in a plaza such as the Union Square Sparkle was. I know that I was sick when they closed the Union Square Sparkle Market, but when Save-A-Lot moved in and I had the opportunity to try their meat, I was releaved and got most of it there - the 5 for $19.99 deals. Each month I would fill my refrigerator freezer with meat.

Well, the amount I heard (and I will stress again, that this is just hearsay) was $400,000.

[Towntalk]

If that's true, Bottom Dollar had to have paid the owner of Sparkle Market a whale of a lot of money considering the fact that each Sparkle Market building is owned by the people who run the store unless they are in a plaza such as the Union Square Sparkle was. I know that I was sick when they closed the Union Square Sparkle Market, but when Save-A-Lot moved in and I had the opportunity to try their meat, I was releaved and got most of it there - the 5 for $19.99 deals. Each month I would fill my refrigerator freezer with meat.

[Peggy Gurney]

The Mahoning Ave Sparkle did very well.  Only thing I didn't like about it is that it wasn't clean.
I'm pretty sure they only closed because of Bottom Dollar.

[jay]

A friend used to work at the Mahoning Avenue Sparkle Market.  I'm sure she would gladly come back to work there if it would reopen.

[northside lurker]

The big question as I see it is why the Mahoning Avenue corridor can not seem to maintain support for a full service supermarket within the city limits.

I've seen nothing to indicate that it can't.

This is just word of mouth, but I've heard that the owner of Westside Sparkle, at the corner of Mahoning and Belle Vista, was paid to close by Bottom Dollar.  So, with Bottom Dollar gone, (assuming Aldi or another grocer doesn't reopen in that space) maybe that Sparkle will reopen?

[Towntalk]

Isn't that area the more affluent area of the West Side? That would explain why there are more businesses located there than in the northern sector of the West Side.

[PD]

Cornersburg wont be affected as much as the Mahoning corridor
Cornersburg has sparkle and Rulli brothers right up the street

[Towntalk]

Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, whose ward includes the Bottom Dollar on Mahoning Avenue, said he's worried about the future of that location as there are no other grocery stores nearby."We need to look to see if Aldi is going to reopen, and if not, who we can attract to that area because people need easy access to food," he said. "There is a market and a need for grocery stores there." - See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/nov/07/residents-officials-worry-over-impact-grocery-clos/#sthash.DQ1k2b3Q.dpuf