Homeland Grocery Stores

4/29/15

Homeland continues to shrink it's presence in the Oklahoma City area, with plans to close their location on N. May just north of NW 122nd on May 30th.

Just last month, the chain converted their location at NW 23rd and Council to a bare bones concept called Cost Saver. In October of last year, they closed their highly visible location at Northwest Expressway and MacArthur. They also closed a long-standing location at NW 39th & Penn in 2012.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland043015b.jpg

The changes come as the Edmond-based company faces increasing pressure from competitors such as Sprouts, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers and others. Also, local grocer Crest has been on somewhat of an aggressive expansion track.

In addition, Walmart continues to open more Super Centers and Neighborhood Markets and giant WinCo Foods is set to hit the market in the near future with four huge locations in the area.

Homeland is what grocery industry analysts call “middle market”, a segment that is being squeezed at one end by the deep discounters and at the other by specialty stores such as Whole Foods and Uptown Market.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/homeland043015.jpg

Homeland was formed in 1987 when local investors bought out the state's Safeway stores which had previously been the dominant grocery vendor in the area. Since that time they have experience many ups and downs including bankruptcy. Currently, the company operates approximately 80 stores in Oklahoma, Kansas and Georgia, most of which are located in smaller communities.

The vacated space at NW 122nd and May will be put of for lease by the landlord once the grocery vacates.

I'm not really sure how Homeland stays in business. The stores are almost always empty when I go in them (rarely ever go there and only if I need just one or two things). I will admit the one you are referencing is pretty nice, but I couldn't speak for the rest of them, as I live really close to this one.

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Originally Posted by BillyOcean

I'm not really sure how Homeland stays in business. The stores are almost always empty when I go in them (rarely ever go there and only if I need just one or two things). I will admit the one you are referencing is pretty nice, but I couldn't speak for the rest of them, as I live really close to this one.

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I can't speak to any of them but May and Britton and it's always busy. Is that the one you wonder how it stays in business? I do wonder about some of the others and hope they really do put some money into the other stores and bring them up-to-date.

Can you try to take some pictures and show us?

This is what competition does. Glad to finally see some forward thinking by local grocers.

I regularly shop at the Homeland at NW Expressway and MacArthur which is always busy. It's not being remodeled but they are completely rearranging the stock in the store and they are giving a much larger section for organic food. I walk right by the organic food section anyway but I'm sure it's welcomed by many and presents better choices.

The Homeland at May and Britton is my preferred grocery store. I stopped in this week, and the remodeled produce and deli section looks incredible. They even included an organic freezer and dry goods section. Love the new look.

That store is so nice because it's fairly new. Albertson's didn't build it too long ago, and Homeland just happened to inherit a new store. So, not sure we can credit Homeland with its overall appearance.

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Originally Posted by Patrick

That store is so nice because it's fairly new. Albertson's didn't build it too long ago, and Homeland just happened to inherit a new store. So, not sure we can credit Homeland with its overall appearance.

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Right, it was like that when Albertson's owned it, if not a tad better than it is today.

The selection of odd items is often advantageous at Homeland, but the prices usually STINK. I see items that are regularly half again as much as the same item at Crest, if not TWICE as much.

I agree, it's one of OKC's nicest grocery stores, but we still have a long ways to go. Too bad the Homeland at 18th and Classen next to Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, and Downtown is so dumpy.

I stopped in the other day and was very impressed as well with the upgrades. I was not impressed with the prices however. It really seemed that everything was more expensive. I need to do some real price checking and see if it was my imagination.

I don't understand how any large grocery chain would tolerate "dumpy" stores, regardless of location.

The two big chains out here are Ralph's and Von's and while some are more upscale than others, they are in lots of poorer areas of Southern California and every single one of those stores are clean and bright.

I'm sure glad OKC is getting some new players because Homeland in particular seems to be a very badly run organization and quality competition will either force change or close them down.

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Originally Posted by asta2

I stopped in the other day and was very impressed as well with the upgrades. I was not impressed with the prices however. It really seemed that everything was more expensive. I need to do some real price checking and see if it was my imagination.

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Have to pay for the upgrades somehow....

Here's how to play the Homeland game.... Go in with the discipline to buy only their loss leaders which are often the best deals in town. Everything else is high. But, it's a nice store and I sure feel better shopping there than I do at a lot of places. We buy loss leaders (big discounted advertised items) at Homeland and everything else at Buy For Less. We DO buy all of our prescriptions at the May & Britton Homeland. The pharmacy is the least expensive in OKC and they will match any lower price found in town. That's a no-brainer decision for us. My wife had a situation where something seemed high and the pharmacy tech actually called several different pharmacies to find a lower price and they matched it plus some. It helps that they are all very friendly at that pharmacy. But on regular priced food items? I agree that Homeland is usually higher than anywhere else. We do all our other grocery shopping (or "marketing" as my grandmother used to call it) at Buy For Less on the NWX just east of Portland. Easy walk from Founders Tower for those quick forgotten items and it's also a nice store.

We also use the pharmacy at this Homeland, and the staff is very good to us. We don't generally shop here because it seems that our pharmacy runs are made in conjunction with something else and we do not go directly home.

We were recently in the Homeland at May and 122nd. I thought it was a dump and won't go back.

I continue to hear good things about But for Less on Northwest Highway. I will have to give it a try; I always thought is was dirty too.

if you consider the May & 122nd a dump what would you call some of there other locations (like 36th & Penn)?

May want to hold off on the visit to Buy 4 Less, right now they are rearranging the store and stuff is strewn everywhere. I haven't ever seen a problem with cleanliness. Although I will say, because of the gray painted ceiling, it always feels like a thunderstorm is going to break out at any minute...rush in and out so you don't get wet. To be fair, it wasn't Buy 4 Less' doing (Baker's painted it and B4L just didn't bother changing it). Also, the isles are mostly "warehouse" style (stock stacked to the ceiling) which can contribute to a closed in/dark/dirty appearance I suppose.

I lived near NW 50th & Independence before moving to Austin so I frequented the Buy 4 Less at NW Expressway & Portland quite a bit and never found it to be dirty unlike the one at NW 36th & MacArthur. It is a nicer store due to it being built as a "nicer store" by the Baker's group than most of the other locations. The epitome of the "warehouse style grocery" to me was always the Food 4 Less at NW 122nd & Penn, it was open rack, cut boxes and always dark inside there with the galvanized deck and red oxide coated structure. I know when doing open deck designs where we are trying to get an "airy, light feel" I always try and get the metal deck/structure painted white or at a minimum use the gray primer structure instead of the red oxide structure.

Know it was something before Baker's but can't recall who it was (Baker's painted the ceiling gray). Loved it when Buy 4 Less took its place and they had the Baker's price next to the Buy 4 Less price on the shelves for everything. Significant savings.

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Originally Posted by Larry OKC

Know it was something before Baker's but can't recall who it was (Baker's painted the ceiling gray). Loved it when Buy 4 Less took its place and they had the Baker's price next to the Buy 4 Less price on the shelves for everything. Significant savings.

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It was a MegaMarket.

Fleming Foods experimented with having stores and they called them MegaMarket. I liked them and was sad when they sold them to Bakers as the prices went way up immediately. It's better now that it's Buy For Less. My Parents stayed with me for a few weeks and Mom noticed then that the grocery stores in Oklahoma City were awful.
She liked that Buy For Less the best. It's close to me since I live just southwest of it a little bit.

It doesn't seem logical for Homeland to sink a bunch of money in upgrading the interior of the May & Britton store when in about 5 months Whole Foods and Sunflower Farmers Market will open and will steal away Homeland's customers.

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Originally Posted by Brett

It doesn't seem logical for Homeland to sink a bunch of money in upgrading the interior of the May & Britton store when in about 5 months Whole Foods and Sunshine Farmer's Market will open and will steal away Homeland's customers.

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I don't know of anyone who shops at Whole Foods, Sunflower, Central Market or Sprouts exclusively. Even the ones who live in/near Downtown Austin may shop at that Whole Foods quite often but they will make a less frequent trip to HEB or a Wal-Mart/Target Supercenter than they did when they lived in the burbs.

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Originally Posted by Brett

It doesn't seem logical for Homeland to sink a bunch of money in upgrading the interior of the May & Britton store when in about 5 months Whole Foods and Sunflower Farmers Market will open and will steal away Homeland's customers.

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Keep in mind that some people may prefer to save a little money and aren't that interested in organic foods, which are always higher, or having 100 varieties of cheese. I believe Homeland will survive the onslaught. I'm sure that Whole Foods and Sunflower will have a willing market but it's unlikely they will be putting any local stores out of business. If they do indeed prod the locals into upgrades, it's a good thing though.

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Originally Posted by MikeOKC

It was a MegaMarket.

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DING DING DING DING

Thats it!

My mom used to take my brother and I to the Buy for Less every other Monday after school for grocery shopping when we were younger. I might have to get some groceries there soon, just to experience some nostalgia.