Olson's Foods

Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
marshd1000
Veteran
Posts: 179
Joined: 07 Nov 2005 13:49
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Olson's Foods

Post by marshd1000 »

Olson's was a local Associated Grocers member store that was primarily located in Snohomish County, WA. They were a grocer that was kind of like QFC and like Haggen, at least they were all pretty close in concept in the 1990's. Here's a interesting article about the the sale of Olson's to QFC.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource. ... ug=1949925

My experience with Olson's was limited to when I was in North Seattle or Snohomish County. I do know that before they sold to QFC, they had acquired a Lucky store during Lucky's pullout from the Seattle market. That store, in North Seattle, was the only Olson's branded store inside the Seattle City Limits. In the early 1990's, they acquired a couple of stores from Thrifty Foods, aka, Brown and Cole. One in Bellevue may had transitioned directly from being a Thrifty to being a QFC as Olson's bought them just before being acquired by QFC. The other Brown and Cole Store was Juanita Marketplace, a warehouse store. QFC kept that store as is, until the shopping center it was in turned into a mixed use development. There were also some sites that Olson's was to expand into. Federal Way became a QFC, with a Starbucks and a Cinnabon and there may have been a Leann Chinn Chinese outlet. The store is now a H Mart. The Issaquah store almost opened as QFC and was fully stocked with food until a lawsuit from The Meadows shopping center stopped it from opening. QFC was a tenant in that center and was going to keep that store open too. But that new store ended up becoming a independent with a QFC interior! Eventually it became Safeway! The Olson's Northgate site became a successful QFC that replaced the old store inside Northgate Mall. Olson's also opened some discount stores called Max Foods, which was very similar to Haggen's Top Foods. There was a location in Seattle's Rainier Valley and one in Snohomish. When QFC bought Olson's the Max stores were not included. The Rainier Valley store became a Safeway. The Snohomish one became a Top Foods and eventually a legacy Haggen store. Ironically the Snohomish and Rainier Valley stores will now have common ownership through Albertsons!
Post Reply