After Decades Feeding Delaware Valley, Farewell to the Genuardi Name

January 5, 2012 3:38 PM

(This Genuardi’s store on West Main Street in Jeffersonville, one of the originals owned by the Genuardi family, will be closed when the rest of the chain changes name. Credit: Brad Segall)

Reporting Brad Segall

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Business & Economy, Heard On, Local, News, Philadelphia, Syndicated Local, Watch + Listen

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By Brad Segall

JEFFERSONVILLE, Pa. (CBS) — A name synonymous with supermarkets in the Philadelphia region for nearly sixty years will be disappearing soon, amid news that Giant Food Stores is buying 16 Genuardi’s stores from Safeway.

The $106-million deal is expected to be completed later this year. At that time, the Giant name will replace the Genuardi name on the stores.

Safeway plans to close three other Genuardi’s store, and they’re looking for a buyer for the handful that will remain.

Greg Honeyman spent 26 years with Genuardi’s, working his way up to director of operations. He says it was like working for family.

“You knew every owner of the company,” he says. “You knew members of their family. And they took the feeling of family and imbued it in those of us that worked in the stores.”

Surprisingly, though, Honeyman says the disappearance of the name brings a sense of relief for him. He says the Genuardi name on a store meant everything positive and nothing negative, but he believes that all changed after Safeway bought the chain a decade ago.

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After Decades Feeding Delaware Valley, Farewell to the Genuardi Name

nate

When the Genuardi name goes out also will go the good service and other things that came with it.Be ready for bland products ,perfunctory service and higher prices.
frugal food shopper

There is also speculation that the huge New York investment firm which is getting A&P (Superfresh and Pathmark) out of bankruptcy may sell its Philadelphia region leases soon to help paydown its investment.

maria

A&P just decided to close many more stores than they promised their loyal pions. You cannot trust these huge corporations.

Peter

What is happening to the Genuarrdi’s in Cherry Hill? Prices there were ridiculaous, but Cherry Hill cannot afford another abandoned supermarked

don c

Bottom Dollar, a new discount food chain which is owned by North Carolina based Food Lion, and whose top executives are Genuardi refugees, will probably goble up many of the unwanted stores

SILII

I would agree that Genuardi’s was not the same store after they were acquired by Safeway. I would not expect them to get any better as Giants, either. It is a shame how small regional stores that provided great service and products get bought up by conglomerates.