Farmer Jack in Utah

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pseudo3d
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Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by pseudo3d »

There's very little about what I can find about Borman's short-lived entry into Utah. From what I can tell, they bought the Salt Lake City division of Safeway in 1987 - https://apnews.com/article/21c75005125b ... 1dba0afbbd - and ended up selling them off in early 1988, shortly before the entire company got swallowed by A&P.

There's mention on Wikipedia that Albertsons bought a number of stores, but I can't seem to find any articles that says as much. Albertsons probably bought a few, but they already were in SLC by that time and I don't think they bought that many, plus it was still in the time Albertsons was building modern stores, and it seems odd that they would buy into small, outdated stores like what Safeway SLC inevitably would've had.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by Super S »

Safeway had already left Boise proper by this point. I know of two locations that continued as supermarkets: Overland and Vista continued as Albertsons for many years, until a new store was built adjacent to the site. Also, on Cole Road, Waremart operated a store for a number of years, although I am not sure exactly when it closed. Safeway also had a location on State Street across from the original Albertsons. This location has been a drug store with many names over the years: Skaggs, Osco Drug, PayLess Drug, and is still open today as Rite Aid.

When Farmer Jack entered the picture, Safeway still had some locations in operation in Eastern Oregon and Idaho. Mountain Home's Safeway became Albertsons (which did not previously have a location there)and is still open today. It seems like there were one or two locations in Nampa or Caldwell that became Farmer Jack, and I think at least one of those became Albertsons later on. The Safeway in Ontario became Farmer Jack, and as I recall, was largely unchanged including the Safeway interior which had Farmer Jack signs placed wherever it said Safeway. I don't think it was ever remodeled. That store never became an Albertsons as they already had a store in Ontario, and is an independent today.

Farmer Jack never gained any traction in this area. Safeway was a weak operator by this point, but did have a more established name. Farmer Jack was to many an out of town chain that people didn't know.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by pseudo3d »

Super S wrote: 05 Apr 2022 11:51 Safeway had already left Boise proper by this point. I know of two locations that continued as supermarkets: Overland and Vista continued as Albertsons for many years, until a new store was built adjacent to the site. Also, on Cole Road, Waremart operated a store for a number of years, although I am not sure exactly when it closed. Safeway also had a location on State Street across from the original Albertsons. This location has been a drug store with many names over the years: Skaggs, Osco Drug, PayLess Drug, and is still open today as Rite Aid.

When Farmer Jack entered the picture, Safeway still had some locations in operation in Eastern Oregon and Idaho. Mountain Home's Safeway became Albertsons (which did not previously have a location there)and is still open today. It seems like there were one or two locations in Nampa or Caldwell that became Farmer Jack, and I think at least one of those became Albertsons later on. The Safeway in Ontario became Farmer Jack, and as I recall, was largely unchanged including the Safeway interior which had Farmer Jack signs placed wherever it said Safeway. I don't think it was ever remodeled. That store never became an Albertsons as they already had a store in Ontario, and is an independent today.

Farmer Jack never gained any traction in this area. Safeway was a weak operator by this point, but did have a more established name. Farmer Jack was to many an out of town chain that people didn't know.
Well, I was mostly asking about Salt Lake City. I'm pretty sure that Nampa and/or Caldwell were later sold to Paul's, an independent supermarket that Albertsons bought out in the mid-2010s. I'll have to check and see where they were and which ones closed.

When SuperValu sold the Salt Lake City-area stores most of them seemed to be fairly modern stores and not old Safeway stores. This would be answered if Groceteria's directory covered into the 1990s, but alas...

It definitely does show that Albertsons and Safeway co-existed in the city in the late 1970s.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by Andrew T. »

Here's a 1987 clipping from the Idaho Press-Tribune that touches on the western Safeway store conversions. The store in the photo is in Nampa, not in Utah, and looks to be a fairly new (early- to mid-1980s) store building.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by Super S »

pseudo3d wrote: 05 Apr 2022 17:08

Well, I was mostly asking about Salt Lake City. I'm pretty sure that Nampa and/or Caldwell were later sold to Paul's, an independent supermarket that Albertsons bought out in the mid-2010s. I'll have to check and see where they were and which ones closed.

When SuperValu sold the Salt Lake City-area stores most of them seemed to be fairly modern stores and not old Safeway stores. This would be answered if Groceteria's directory covered into the 1990s, but alas...

It definitely does show that Albertsons and Safeway co-existed in the city in the late 1970s.
Sorry, I misunderstood and thought you were asking about the whole division.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

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Super S wrote: 05 Apr 2022 19:06
pseudo3d wrote: 05 Apr 2022 17:08

Well, I was mostly asking about Salt Lake City. I'm pretty sure that Nampa and/or Caldwell were later sold to Paul's, an independent supermarket that Albertsons bought out in the mid-2010s. I'll have to check and see where they were and which ones closed.

When SuperValu sold the Salt Lake City-area stores most of them seemed to be fairly modern stores and not old Safeway stores. This would be answered if Groceteria's directory covered into the 1990s, but alas...

It definitely does show that Albertsons and Safeway co-existed in the city in the late 1970s.
Sorry, I misunderstood and thought you were asking about the whole division.
Actually, there's this sticking point in Wikipedia (often wrong but whatever).
1987 Salt Lake City 60 stores $75m Farmer Jack Farmer Jack sells stores in pieces at under book value in 1988 to Fleming and Albertsons; Farmer Jack acquired by A&P late 1988

...which implies that Albertsons picked up some of the stores directly from Farmer Jack after their quick exit. The Nampa store (at 407 12th Avenue) mentioned above never became Albertons, it became Paul's Market and closed after Albertsons bought Paul's in 2016 (as Albertsons already had a store in Nampa). It has remained vacant since.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.5650782 ... 384!8i8192

Likewise, the Caldwell store also closed due to redundancy, as did Mountain Home. There were about four stores (Homedale, Kuna, Boise and McCall all got converted, with McCall later transforming into a large "resort" style store with an upper level eating area). And it is possible that at least one was Safeway originally. However, it would've come nearly twenty years after Borman's/Farmer Jack's brief stand in the western United States.

So then, where did this "bought by Albertsons" come from? Were/are there Albertsons that were picked up from Farmer Jack (and by extension, Safeway) back in 1988?
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by Super S »

Andrew T. wrote: 05 Apr 2022 18:56 Here's a 1987 clipping from the Idaho Press-Tribune that touches on the western Safeway store conversions. The store in the photo is in Nampa, not in Utah, and looks to be a fairly new (early- to mid-1980s) store building.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/407+1 ... 16.5741163

The parking lot lights hinted that this might be an older building, and a look at Google Maps shows what might be a hidden Marina building that has been false-fronted. It looks like a significant remodel and expansion was done at some point. Worth noting is that the former Albertsons at Vista and Overland, which started life as a Safeway, was also false-fronted at some point but retained the Marina interior until Albertsons built a new store. I don't know if they left the Marina interior intact in that Nampa store or if they installed a suspended ceiling, which Safeway sometimes did when remodeling for a more modern appearance.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by Super S »

pseudo3d wrote: 06 Apr 2022 19:32
Super S wrote: 05 Apr 2022 19:06
pseudo3d wrote: 05 Apr 2022 17:08

Well, I was mostly asking about Salt Lake City. I'm pretty sure that Nampa and/or Caldwell were later sold to Paul's, an independent supermarket that Albertsons bought out in the mid-2010s. I'll have to check and see where they were and which ones closed.

When SuperValu sold the Salt Lake City-area stores most of them seemed to be fairly modern stores and not old Safeway stores. This would be answered if Groceteria's directory covered into the 1990s, but alas...

It definitely does show that Albertsons and Safeway co-existed in the city in the late 1970s.
Sorry, I misunderstood and thought you were asking about the whole division.
Actually, there's this sticking point in Wikipedia (often wrong but whatever).
1987 Salt Lake City 60 stores $75m Farmer Jack Farmer Jack sells stores in pieces at under book value in 1988 to Fleming and Albertsons; Farmer Jack acquired by A&P late 1988

...which implies that Albertsons picked up some of the stores directly from Farmer Jack after their quick exit. The Nampa store (at 407 12th Avenue) mentioned above never became Albertons, it became Paul's Market and closed after Albertsons bought Paul's in 2016 (as Albertsons already had a store in Nampa). It has remained vacant since.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.5650782 ... 384!8i8192

Likewise, the Caldwell store also closed due to redundancy, as did Mountain Home. There were about four stores (Homedale, Kuna, Boise and McCall all got converted, with McCall later transforming into a large "resort" style store with an upper level eating area). And it is possible that at least one was Safeway originally. However, it would've come nearly twenty years after Borman's/Farmer Jack's brief stand in the western United States.

So then, where did this "bought by Albertsons" come from? Were/are there Albertsons that were picked up from Farmer Jack (and by extension, Safeway) back in 1988?
The one Boise store Albertsons acquired, which was Paul's, at Lake Hazel and Five Mile Road, ironically started life as Albertsons. Albertsons closed that location when they acquired the Boise Buttrey locations at Five Mile and Overland and at Five Mile and Ustick. That one never became Farmer Jack. And, although they did air Farmer Jack commercials on Boise TV stations, they never did operate in Boise proper.

The Mountain Home store I was referring to was a Safeway originally, and I believe this one also never operated as Farmer Jack, instead going straight from Safeway to Albertsons. That one might have been one of those stores sold in 1988.
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storewanderer
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by storewanderer »

Fresh Market (former Albertsons) at 1638 S 900 E was a Safeway.
Rancho (former Fresh Market, former Albertsons) 140 900 W was also a Safeway.

I believe Albertsons bought 9 stores from Farmer Jack in Salt Lake City area. Between Albertsons new stores/capex throughout the 90's plus closures by Supervalu it is tough to label what other stores may have been part of the 9 store group.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by retailfanmitchell019 »

storewanderer wrote: 01 May 2022 03:11 Fresh Market (former Albertsons) at 1638 S 900 E was a Safeway.
Rancho (former Fresh Market, former Albertsons) 140 900 W was also a Safeway.

I believe Albertsons bought 9 stores from Farmer Jack in Salt Lake City area. Between Albertsons new stores/capex throughout the 90's plus closures by Supervalu it is tough to label what other stores may have been part of the 9 store group.
The Rancho on 900 W was right next to a Rite Aid. I bet this was a Safeway/Super S combo decades ago.
Found another former Safeway, located at 2040 S 2300 E. Became a Fresh Market, now a Macey's. Looks like Albertsons gave this a Grocery Palace remodel.
I think the Albertsons in Jackson, WY was a Safeway/Farmer Jack, then relocated?
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

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retailfanmitchell019 wrote: 01 May 2022 20:46
The Rancho on 900 W was right next to a Rite Aid. I bet this was a Safeway/Super S combo decades ago.
Found another former Safeway, located at 2040 S 2300 E. Became a Fresh Market, now a Macey's. Looks like Albertsons gave this a Grocery Palace remodel.
I think the Albertsons in Jackson, WY was a Safeway/Farmer Jack, then relocated?
The Rite Aid on 900 was an odd deep store. Strange layout. Had 4 sets of aisles. The pharmacy side wall had a layout common to Skaggs Stores with the pharmacy in the middle of the side wall and manager's office and a large overlook area above... wall is a job of Payless Drug (looks awful). Like most of the Utah Rite Aids this one was never remodeled before Walgreens shut it down.
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The Albertsons felt fairly typical mid 90's layout, they probably expanded it. Produce and part of bakery was on the side wall shared with Rite Aid.

Jackson was definitely a former Safeway/Farmer Jack in a former life. I was there in the late 80's; Albertsons with metal carts that had S logos on the sides. No clue what it looked like inside but I remember those carts.

Safeway Salt Lake City Division had two stores in Nevada also- Ely and Elko. Both became IGAs. The Ely one (Gorman's IGA) eventually relocated to a new building. Elko (DiOrozio's IGA) closed but the building sat for many years, now demolished and the Gold Dust West casino.
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Re: Farmer Jack in Utah

Post by retail_person_247 »

I found an article about an IGA store in Sandy Utah closing, and according to the newspaper article, the IGA originally started out as a Farmer Jack

The store was once located at 8725 Highland Dr., Sandy, UT 84093

https://www.deseret.com/1990/1/28/18843 ... a-in-sandy
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