Update: Kings Food Markets!

There's been a bit of work going on at the Kings locations since ACME took over the chain in January 2021. Not much happened between then and roughly this July, when stuff finally started changing (though admittedly not all that much, which has been quite disappointing to me). I've gotten to quite a few of the locations to investigate the changes. Here's an (overly?) exhaustive rundown of changes to stores we've already seen...

Montclair

(pictured above) As of July 12, the aisle markers had been replaced -- setting the change at some point between December 2020 and July 2021. I'm unsure whether that was done right before or right after the ACME acquisition. Also as of July 12, the price tags had been switched over to the ACME/Albertsons type, and five self-checkouts had been installed.

See my tour of Montclair here.

Verona

Verona's POS system update/self-checkout installation was completed on July 15, 2021. Five self-checkouts were installed and I assume the price tags were switched over to the ACME type at the same time; as of the 12th the older Kings style were still in use.

The strange and extremely low-cost remodel we saw previously presumably took place right before the ACME acquisition, but may not have. See the tour here. One of the strangest elements of that remodel was the removal of the beautiful Italian food department to install what seems to be two new manager's offices. Again, it seems that this was done right before ACME took ownership, but it may have been right after.

Hoboken

This store seems to have been the first to get the POS system update and installation of self-checkouts, which Acme Style reports on our original tour happened in late June. I haven't been back to the store since December, though.

Livingston

This store is the one getting the most extensive changes, and coincidentally, it's also the closest to me, so I've been back several times a week sometimes to chronicle the changes here. A remodel began at the beginning of July, which I reported on back then. The POS system/price tags were changed over on the 13th and five self-checkouts were installed at the same time.

The former cafe in the front of the store has been converted into a customer service counter with a manager's office behind it, which we can see here.

We can see a bit of the new customer service counter installed in front of the office here.

And a look inside the manager's office, from the front windows. Sadly, they've been covered over since this picture was taken (and since, the next two windows have also been covered up)...

And a look at the final product, with the new customer service counter and manager's office in the front corner of the store.

Newly installed self-checkouts replace two full service registers, which in turn were moved into what used to be the customer service counter.

You can clearly see where the counter was removed here, and it looks like it was kind of just installed on top of the existing flooring so there was little need to replace the floor. You can see the edge of where the counter used to be in the picture of the new customer service counter, where the flooring is a little rougher. Registers 4 and 5 are in place of the former customer service counter.

The area was covered over pretty quickly and painted to match the rest of the store, so it does look like the decor won't be changed here. But who knows, I could be pleasantly surprised. By the way, this isn't actually a real wall -- it's just covered windows, and the windows in the front are covered in black. Interesting that they decided not to open up the windows again, but it looks like that would've taken more work with the electrical panels now being located in this section.

The former liquor store along the left side wall of the store has been closed since January, and has been used as storage since (blocked off with chip displays). Recently, with the ongoing remodel, the area is being prepared for a kosher food department. The wall we see here (with the doors) will be demolished and the shelving will extend out to the existing sales floor.

The area has been used as a staging area for the remodel, too.

Updated price tags were beginning to come out about a day or two before the POS change-over, but they were finished at the same time. Note that the actual sign is identical to what Andronico's uses on the west coast. And I've spotted Malvern on-site quite a few times in the last few weeks...

A dumpster in back has been emptied a few times now, and if you want a look at what was in the dumpster on the 25th...

That's all for Livingston (for now), but I'll definitely be back to update as the remodel progresses.

Millburn

Long considered the flagship store, Millburn doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot of love this time around. That could certainly be because the store is already in excellent condition, except the outside which unfortunately is up to the landlord (see here for the tour). The vacant Walgreens next door, closer to the street, isn't helping matters outside.

POS system upgrade completed on the 16th. Self checkouts had been installed by the 14th but weren't up and running yet...

The catering office has been moved from the right side of the front-end (near produce) to the left side (near customer service, floral, and deli). The former catering office is now a staging area for online Instacart orders but is, unlike the other Albertsons banner stores, not branded Drive Up & Go. Here, you can tell where the line is between old and new, but also notice that the new section has been painted to look just like the old one -- so again, that's a sign of no decor change.

Summit

Summit's POS upgrade was done by the 12th, although I don't believe any self-checkouts were installed.

Here's my store tour of this location. Also spotted, on a door to the backroom, was the following sign -- the first place I've seen ACME, Safeway, Kings and Balducci's logos together in a store.

Garwood

This store was in fairly rough shape when I visited back in November, and I'm pleased to say it's looking much better with better stocked service counters and displays, a lot of facility improvements like replacing burnt-out lightbulbs, and so on. This was also a very early store to get the POS change-over, as it was finished by July 7th.

This is the first store where I saw these updated price tags on items, which are of the same style as ACME's.

Four new self-checkouts installed in a somewhat unusual island style instead of lining two sides of a single pathway. There's a single-serve drink case to the right here. Looks like this flooring was newly installed when the registers were changed. Don't forget to check this Twitter thread for more updates on the Kings stores as I visit! And now for an update to a former Kings...

Maplewood

Work is well underway at the former Kings at 159 Maplewood Ave to prepare it for Green Way Markets' opening. Green Way, which also took over the Kings in Ridgewood (though the turnover was less than a day, so no renovation was done prior to Green Way's opening), is owned by Estevez Markets which also owns several Foodtowns and Green Way locations in Ridgewood and West New York, NJ and Cross River, NY. Here's my tour of the Kings.

Comments left on my original Kings post offer two interesting insights. The first is that although the store only has roughly 7700 square feet at ground level, all of the backroom space is located in a basement which almost doubles the store's total area to over 11,000 square feet. Second, in its early days, this store was an A&P.

It looks like Estevez is preparing to switch the entrance and exit, so that you enter on the right and exit along the front wall to the left above. Remember that Kings' aisles were incredibly short and ran side to side across the store, with the checkouts along the right-side wall. Estevez has moved the registers to the front wall and removed all of the grocery shelving from the interior, which makes sense. That said, the registers were still on dollies so they could be placed there only temporarily while work is going on where they'll eventually end up. They've also scraped up all of the flooring, revealing what was previously on the floor inside...

Note that the fixtures have mostly been removed, but the decor remains almost entirely. Does that mean that Estevez is going to leave the decor intact, as is the case in Ridgewood? Cross River certainly looks nothing like a Kings: see here, here, and here.

It does look like the registers were being wired into the ceiling, though. Well, you can bet I'll be back to check out Green Way once it opens! Check out all the other posts for today here.

UPDATE: Turns out Shapiro, not Estevez, will be owning this store.