You may know already that the smaller Ralph’s market at Trabuco and Alicia is gone.  In its place will be Smart & Final Express opening September 12th.  It’s my understanding that the ‘express’ stores are the size of a regular grocery store vs their ‘Extra’ stores which are larger than their warehouse stores.

So what do you think of the Haggen’s Market that has replaced a few Vons and Albertson’s markets in So Cal?  My local store tells me that by December, 45% of what they carry will be organic!  They have a commitment to local, and over the next 30-60 days, they’ll be continuing to convert new stores and “Haggen-izing” their already converted stores. They’ll be introducing three-day weekend sales, signature items throughout the store, dedicated end caps for gluten-free, local and new items. Those are just some of the ways they’re working to drive excitement and traffic into their stores.