It was a long process, but Myers Group CEO Tyler Myers said a lease was signed and downtown Juneau can look forward to an improved grocery store called Foodland IGA.
The Washington State-based retail and real estate management firm purchased Alaskan & Proud and Friday inked the deal for the 47,000-square-foot space in Foodland Plaza.
“As of this morning we finally got everything taken care of,” Myers said by phone from Seattle. He’d visited Juneau a couple of weeks ago and said he liked what he saw. All of the store’s employees told him they wanted to stay on, he said.
Myers said he has plans for renovations, and for the expansion and addition of some departments.
He said that work will be relatively simple to accomplish and add to the store’s value to the community. He expects to start renovating within the existing space within six months to a year. He said he expects the store will be contained within the leased space without expanding to other parts of the building.
Gary Rosenberger of Foodland, Inc. confirmed the deal on Friday.
“Our family is truly pleased with the results of our search for a new operator to anchor the Foodland Center,” he said in a prepared release. “The Myers Group seems to have exactly the right experience, skills and approach to their business that will make them a perfect fit for us and Juneau. Their commitment to upgrading the store and their successful grocery business tells us they are highly motivated to provide a community driven shopping experience.”
Myers group is based in Clinton, Wash., and runs five other grocery stores, as well as three service stations, three TrueValue Hardware outlets and two other retail businesses. It began in 1978 with one grocery store and has grown into a retail management company that also offers support services to start-ups and shopping center developers, among other services.
Myers said the business will remain active in the community. “We love being a staple in our community. We continually participate in scholarship programs for the local high schools, sponsor community programs, host food bank & pet shelter drives, and give back to our communities as much as we can. Many of our weekly promotions are geared towards helping out the community.”
John Williams of Juneau Real Estate brokered the deal and personally toured some Myers Group stores to inspect their quality. “Tyler Myers is an experienced retailer — a quality guy and someone who knows how to empower those around him to provide the best possible shopping experience for their customers,” he said in a prepared release.
Williams said Alaska Marine Lines played a key role in the deal by suggesting the Myers Group as a possible business to take over the store.
Current store hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. An inventory will take place Sept. 8 while the store is open, current co-owner Suzanne Williams of Alaskan & Proud has said. Myers said new inventory will arrive to the emptying shelves on Sept. 10.
• Contact Managing Editor John R. Moses at 523-2265 or at john.moses@juneauempire.com.
Comments (27)
Add commentI hope that they have clean, public bathrooms
I know that this sounds like a very simple request but I would hope that sooner, rather than later they establish neat and clean and available public bathrooms. Is that too much to ask?
I would ask them to visit their competition here in town and down south. Just go look. Safeway, Freddie, Costco, Walmart, Super Bear. Look how nice they treat their customers. The restrooms are convenient and easy to use. And no one has to go find a manager and ask for a key. The one that thought up that policy in Foodland of putting their bathroom in the back under lock and key certainly was not thinking of his customers - that is for sure.
Yes we your customers would like to be able to go to the bathroom without asking some manager, "Mother may I?" I liked shopping at Foodland except that they forced good customers, old and young alike to ask for the key to the bathroom as if they were going to steal it or something. It was embarrassing to do and it just was not a nice thing to do to your customers.
Thank you for listening. How about getting off to a great new start?
Foodland's Bathrooms
In response to Alaska_rick--
the bathrooms at Foodland have been locked for some time now, because if left unlocked, street people and irresponsible people have made a huge mess of them, or passed out in them.
there should be another solution rather than having to find the manager to get the key, but it's easy for us to judge when we don't have to do the clean-up.
Required reading for anyone dealing with the public
1. Give'em the Pickle, Bob Farrell.
http://www.giveemthepickle.com/
2. The customer signs your paycheck. Frank Cooper.
http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Customer_Signs_Your_Paycheck.htm...
These books deal with an attitude of customer relationships.
The customer is not your enemy or an interruption in your day. The customer is who pays the bills and should be given respect. Even a street person deserves honor and respect - really. If that person chooses to buy something from you, I would feel happy about that and want them to come back.
The teams that get it right are successful. Hence my suggestion to visit those businesses that have learned how to take care of their customers and do it well. Look at Walmart please. How many Walmart stores have their bathroom locked? None. Why is that? They got to be the worlds biggest retailer by doing a lot of things right. They want their customers to come back again and again. We all can learn by what others do - right and wrong. Education does not stop in school. And if something is not working so well, like a locked bathroom, then fix it. That should be easy.
I personally think that bathrooms are important for customers. If I am the only one that feels that way, then I am sorry to have bothered you. But I am guessing that there are many people who are cussing that policy and just did not want to say anything.
Nice reference on bob Farrell, Rick
His book absolutely should be required reading. He is also an excellent public speaker on the subject of customer service. I had the good fortune of seeing him speak several years ago in Seattle. His story is inspiring not just for his message on how to run a business but what this country offers to people willing to work hard and who strive to be ethical doing it. Thanks for reminding me of that.
You ask for the key?
Just grab it on your way in. That's why they store it right next to the door.
I'm glad the Foodland name
I'm glad the Foodland name will be restored to that operation. I always thought the name A&P sucked. A lot of us old-time Juneauites are comfortable with the Foodland name. Personally, I never quit calling it that.
Anyway, it's nice that people who live in town will have a place to go shopping.
As for the pisspot debate, I usually take a leak before I leave to go shopping so the whole deal is really not an issue to me.
@fume
That is wonderful that you have that option. Be aware that significant numbers of people do not have that option. For you it may be a minor inconvenience. For others it means a lot. Please understand that all people are not exactly the same as you. Many people take medications that greatly increase the frequency and urgency for using the restroom. Look up the term "diuretics" for example. Many people need to take diuretics.
I do not need wheelchair access. That does not mean those who have to use a wheelchair should be shut out. Having a restroom easily available is the kind thing to do and it is the right thing to do.
I agree with J. E. Fume - I
I agree with J. E. Fume - I never stopped calling it Foodland, I have never had a problem using the restroom IF I needed it, which I usually didn't. And it's nice to say Walmart's restrooms are unlocked, but they're some of the NASTIEST restrooms around. It's easy to say when you're not on the clean-up crew......
alaska_rick, Get off the
alaska_rick,
Get off the soapbox. I would guess that I have way more experience working with special needs individuals than 99.9 % of the the blowhards that come on this forum. I am well aware of the the needs of others. However, it's not an issue for ME. I take a leak before I step out the door so I need not worry. I think the point has been made by several posters that having open restrooms leads to the places becoming very nasty. I think most folks would rather wait a minute or two to be able to take a leak or a dump in a clean restroom than have to endure the likes of the heads one finds in other establishments around town.
@Fume
You made it clear that you did not personally have a problem. I know that. You did not have to call names - that is not really necessary. Why would you need to be so mean to those less fortunate than you?
I was trying to maybe help you and others be aware that there are people who really could use and would take advantage of an improvement in the restroom situation. What better time to do that when they are thinking of remodeling? Wouldn't now be the best time to plan for that?
I worked my way through my first year of college cleaning yucky restrooms. It was in the "bad" part of town too. It was not so bad. I was happy to have the job. Clean is a journey not an endpoint.
And after hearing reasonable suggestions, perhaps the new management would choose to ignore those suggestions and continue as it has always been. I can live with that. That is their business and their policy of customer service. That is their right to run their business anyway they see fit. That would be what Frank Cooper calls "dial tone" customer service. Average service.
I was hoping that the new management would not be happy with just being average. There actually are businesses that do in fact set their goals to be better than average. I was hoping that they would like to try to provide something remarkable and exceptional. Maybe we will be lucky and get an exceptional management team?
However there will be those that cannot live with it as it is and they will just shop somewhere else. Most people won't complain because it is too painful for them and embarrassing. They just go away. Note the name calling for merely expressing an opinion. If a 90 year old man could not hold it and had an accident on the floor there in public what sort of names should he be called? My dad had that problem. He could not help it.
I have been in the customer service business for 40 years. A good manager listens to those who have a good faith suggestion for improvement. That is how they get better.
Fume, IT IS WHAT YOU LEARN AFTER YOU KNOW IT ALL, that really counts in life. How do you learn? Listen to your customers. Listen to those who are successful. Maybe you can keep from repeating the same mistakes year after year.
Thanks for listening.
alaska_rick: well said.
Fume states: "Get off the soapbox".
"I have more experience working with special needs individuals than 99.9% of the blowhards...."
Have you cleaned the 'client' after an 'accident' (in some road-side station ill-suited for the handicapped) with dignity and respect?
Have you stood in line with your 'client' at 'customer service' for twenty minutes to get a 'pass-key' to the restroom?
99.9% of the time the 'client' is more concerned with immediacy than 'esthetics'.
Do not go there with me.
Working with special needs clients is never about "ME".
Restaurants do not require 'pass-keys'.
I'm sure it's really fun for
I'm sure it's really fun for a person with special needs to use facilities that that are all sodded down due to being open to all the riff-raff that lacks the good taste to use said facilities with respect. I really don't think it is. I have had the "pleasure" of going into facilities with special needs people only to find that those facilities are not fit for use due to them having been open to the public. I have had to look at the faces of special needs people who have been completely grossed out by graphic situations that even the most talented wordsmith would in over his/her head trying to describe. I guess it's a six-on-half-a-dozen-the-other kind of thing.
Back in the day, I had the "pleasure" of working at FOODLAND and I remember several situations where the toilet facilities were left in conditions that no special needs person, regards of his/her immediate needs, would want to be subjected.
Either way, I'm glad that the name FOODLAND is back in vogue. FOODLAND is a Juneau institution.
Anyway, I take a make it a point to take a leak before going shopping just so I can avoid using disgusting facilities.
Fume: I am honestly at a loss for a response.
***
RoughCut, Since you seem like
RoughCut,
Since you seem like a man of experience in this matter, I'll consider your input on this issue should it ever be a necessity.
By the way, I eat at Chick-Fil-A whenever I'm down south--I don't let some owner's peculiar fringe political views dampen the taste of an awesome chicken sandwich. Nonetheless, I have been in the head at more than one Chick-Fil-A establishment where the conditions were less than satisfactory. One time I recall seeing somebody's two-foot masterpiece looking back at me from inside the bowl. Luckily, I had already dined.
Fume: I am interested in your definition of 'special need'.
I, too, have worked for Foodland, aka, A&P.
I do not share your experiences.
Ken, There are 14 categories
Ken,
There are 14 categories of special needs listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They are as follows:
Autism, Deaf-blindness, Deafness, Developmental delay, Emotional disturbance, Hearing impairment, Intellectual disability, Multiple disabilities, Orthopedic impairment, Other health impairment, Specific learning disability, Speech or language impairment, Traumatic brain injury, and Visual impairment--including blindness.
Some people who fall into these categories might not seem like they would be in need of help using a toilet. However, a person with autism might find a log floating in the toilet to be traumatic. That's just how things work.
We are never going to have a perfect system in regards to public-use heads. I was just having some fun playing Devil's advocate with our buddy, alaska_rick. He seemed to be somewhat indignant about A&P not allowing free access to the peepots. I was just stating that it had never been an issue to me since I always make it a point to drain the main vein before leaving the house. I never knew A&P had such a policy in spite having shopped there at least once weekly since the days of the real FOODLAND.
I would have never gotten of on this tangent if alaska_rick hadn't gotten his panties in such a wad over my comments.
Anyway, it has been nice having a chat with you, Ken. I always enjoy your comments and feedback. I hope you will have a most enjoyable Labor Day weekend. The same goes to RoughCut, alaska_rick, Calypso, and the rest of the regulars on the forum.
Thanks for the clarification.
***
I'm sure the Meyers group
I'm sure the Meyers group will be a very positive addition to the local business community, and Juneau is lucky for their buy in. However, it is unfortunate no local Juneau business has the confidence in Juneau to buy the store and keep it local...at least 'Southeast local'. There is always a lot of carping about outside ownership, but no one local willing to put the money down.
What stopped you, Tomas?
What stopped you, Tomas?
Apathy.
It's the same reason people carp about the Assembly, but never step up and run for it.
Can't we all just get along.
Can't we all just get along. It's great that the downtown grocery is staying open, regardless of who had the capital, motivation, and opportunity to buy in. Considering the new owner seems more than willing to keep it, as much as is possible, a hometown store, this bodes very well for its future. My only concern, as it is at all the stores, are prices. Will it be more convenient and less expensive to stop on the way out of downtown, or stop by one of the others, all of which I pass on the home? Thank you, Mr. Myers.
Just take a leak outside just
Just take a leak outside just like all the "street people" who are shunned from the restroom do...
Business decision
I see having public restrooms anywhere in that part of town a huge liability. You would have to have a full time person monitoring those rooms and have a hazmat team ready for the biohazards. Really good to see that store stay occupied and offer residents a viable grocery store. Hope they're ready for the candy swiping vultures that roar in about the time school lets out.
Full Time Outhouse Guard
New store offers career opprtunity. Must have no sense of smell and be able to stifle retch response and gag reflex. Deal on an hourly and daily basis with downtown Juneau opportunists who have life-long traditions of taking advantage of every FREE opportunity put before them and then turning about and trashing, stealing,defacing wrecking and rendering useless the FREE services maintained for them.
Applicants must have ability to smile while being mocked, sworn at and otherwise abused when suggesting proper uses of facilities.
Employer not responsible for employees sanity or length of tenure in position.
Only someone young, naive and unfamilair with downtown Juneau should apply.
Yes!
Living on Douglas and working downtown, I find myself grateful we stilll will have Foodland. IGA is not a massive corporation but small enough to appreciate us locals. IGA is offering employees benefits they didn't have before, those employees are locals therfore they are in fact supporting local families. Good enough for me!
Yikes, ya'll are going to
Yikes, ya'll are going to scare off the new owner!! It's making me scared! He might have an opt out clause until a certain time.
What's with all this "local" talk all the time. At this point, Juneauites should be standing at the dock or airport holding welcoming signs. A buck's a buck - whether it pays rent, taxes, payrolls, etc. Would you like the alternative better - empty storefronts?
Juneau isn't special - it's just another landlocked small town...that relies way too heavily on government dollars.