The Detroit Free Press this morning reports that the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) will close all of the Detroit-area warehouses that serve its 66 Farmer Jack stores there, effective June 15.
A&P is in the process of trying to sell the Farmer Jack chain, either whole or piecemeal. The company reportedly has had trouble finding a buyer at what it deems an appropriate price because four out of ten of its stores are unprofitable, and the rest of them are only marginally so.
A&P is in the process of trying to sell the Farmer Jack chain, either whole or piecemeal. The company reportedly has had trouble finding a buyer at what it deems an appropriate price because four out of ten of its stores are unprofitable, and the rest of them are only marginally so.
- KC's View:
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We always find it amusing when these stories quote A&P as saying that it is getting out of Detroit because of the region's "unsatisfactory operating trends.”
Which, as usual, passes the buck on why the stores don’t work. It isn’t A&P, goes the logic, but the region and the competitive climate. (Which isn’t a great sales pitch when you are trying to sell 66 stores, but then again, A&P isn’t often accused of being a great salesman.)
It is our experience that to a great extent, you create your own competitive climate.
