In another thread, I made a passing comment to a "circa-1976" A&P signframe. It didn't take long for someone to say...MikeRa wrote:A&P was already using the new logo in New York and New Jersey as early as 1975
So, I'll pose the question: Is there any proof that the capsule-shaped A&P logo was used prior to 1976?Ephrata1966 wrote:That logo is actually from 1973, when WEO stores were either closed or converted back to A&P.
It isn't impossible for an outdated logo to linger in print after being replaced elsewhere. As a case in point, the local Pick 'n Save chain in Wisconsin redesigned its logo in 2013. I saw it on a store in Milwaukee in 2014...yet the print circulars and coupon books in Madison persisted with the old logo for a year after that.
But if any evidence of a pre-1976 debut for the A&P capsule exists...I haven't seen it yet.
Looking through the annals of Newspaper Archive didn't turn up any contrary observations: The exact week of introduction for the new logo varied by market and by paper, but nowhere did it appear in print prior to February 1, 1976.
The new logo appears prominently on the pages of the 1975 A&P annual report, along with photos of the logo in use on stores...but the report wouldn't have been published until well into the following year.
Store-brand packaging is also a dead lead; at least from the meager evidence I've seen. The old circle logo persisted on packaging into the UPC era, and it may not have been until after 1976 that every trace of it had been banished from the labels.
(In addition, A&P's WEO promotion lasted until 1975, not 1973, so not even the disappearance of that preceded 1976 by very long.)