Big Y
Big Y has seriously improved their operations in the last, say, five years or so. They've gone from an expensive, not particularly remarkable regional to a consistently well-run, top-of-the-line supermarket. Their newest stores are absolutely exceptional, and the perimeter quality is now notably better than most of their competitors. But let's turn back the clock nine years to 2016. Big Y had just acquired a couple of stores from Hannaford -- when Ahold and Delhaize merged, certain overlapping stores were divested, going to Shaw's and Big Y. Big Y mostly left the stores alone, changing only necessary signage. Within a couple years, they learned which stores were worth hanging onto. For instance, in Norwood, a sad, elderly Hannaford was demolished and rebuilt into a state-of-the-art Big Y. Others didn't stick around. Here in Quincy, the 53,000 square foot Big Y was simply closed in 2019, shortly after I visited. Asian supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market opened their fifth east-coast location here the following year, which you can tour here.
Now, sharp eyes will tell that this store was no ordinary Hannaford-turned-Big Y. The facade, although it was somewhat modified by Hannaford, still looks an awful lot like the original tenant here: Shaw's. (Compare it to this building.) From what I can glean from various online sources, it looks like Shaw's built this store in the late 90s, closing by the early 00s. Hannaford came in shortly thereafter, selling to Big Y in 2016, which then closed in 2019. 99 Ranch Market opened in 2020 and completed a renovation over the course of the next several years. One note: it's possible, although I don't have any specific evidence of this, that this store was divested in 1999 to Hannaford when Sainsbury's, which owned Shaw's, acquired Star Market, which has a location in Quincy Center.
In the Big Y setup, the grand aisle was on the right side of the store, with produce in the front-right corner and deli/prepared foods in an island facing. Bakery and seafood were at the back. Meat lined the back wall of the store, with frozen/dairy on the left side of the store. Natural foods were in the first aisle, and a small cafe was at the front of the first aisle.
Now, keep in mind as we tour the store, that essentially everything you see was installed by Hannaford. Big Y changed almost nothing as far as I can tell, except for a handful of smaller signs around the store.
The department signage is certainly Hannaford-era. Here's a look at the produce department during the Hannaford years.
I'm not sure how much, if anything, Hannaford did to the layout when they took over from Shaw's. The layout to me more closely resembles a Hannaford setup than a Shaw's one, at least here in the grand aisle. I don't see any remnants of Shaw's in the grand aisle, and they didn't typically have deli islands the way we see here. Then again, Hannaford typically will put the bakery in that island, not the deli.
The store, when I visited just months before it closed, didn't feel neglected, but it also felt very slow traffic-wise. It's likely it was already slated for closure when I visited, but it hadn't been announced publicly yet.
A look across the back wall.
Natural foods here in the first aisle, which is likely left over from Hannaford too.
I don't know if this department was also left over from Hannaford, but Table & Vine is definitely a Big Y brand.
This flooring is definitely a Shaw's remnant. Check out the Shrewsbury Shaw's and you'll see identical flooring.
This small cafe in the front may have been installed by Big Y, since I can't remember ever seeing cafes in Hannafords of this era, or, for that matter, Shaw's. But most Big Ys have seating areas and rather substantial prepared foods departments for eat-in or take-out.
I don't know what decor Shaw's would've opened with here, since in some places it's pretty obvious the Hannaford decor is contorting to accommodate the existing wall features.
I would assume a lot of the refrigeration is original, since it's not even that old. This was a new-build store just over 25 years ago.
Still, it was definitely starting to show its age at the end of Big Y's (short) tenure here.
Dairy and frozen lining the last aisle.
I'm not familiar with the frames around these signs, making me think perhaps they're left over from some Shaw's decor. The green trim also seems to match Shaw's features such as the exterior of the Shrewsbury store I linked above.
A look across the front-end. I don't recall seeing a pharmacy here, and I'm also pretty sure no previous tenant had one because there was a Rite Aid in the same mall until recently.
And here we see what's essentially the single change -- four letters, a Big Y sign in place of where there would've been a Hannaford logo. But it makes sense as a strategy -- if you're not sure you're keeping a store for the long term, do as little as possible to it so there's no real investment lost.
Open: 2016-2019
Owner: D'Amour family
Previous Tenants: Shaw's (late 1990s-ca. 2005) > Hannaford (ca. 2005-2016)
Later Tenants: 99 Ranch Market (2020- )
Cooperative: none
Location: 475 Hancock St, Quincy, MA
Photographed: August 4, 2019
Speaking of investment, after opening, 99 Ranch did a multi-year renovation to update the store -- although certain remnants persist. Check it out here! And on Monday, we're headed practically next door to check out another Asian supermarket.
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