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Smart & Final Extra! format reaches milestone

Warehouse-style retailer continues transition to larger stores

Russell Redman

October 18, 2018

2 Min Read
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Smart & Final Stores Inc. has opened its 200th Smart & Final Extra! location, continuing its long-term plan to shift its store base to the bigger format.

The new 30,000-square-foot store, at 4480 Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach, Calif., serves up everyday low prices on more than 16,000 SKUs of food and groceries in household and club sizes, including expanded frozen, deli and meat assortments and a full fresh produce section with organic options.

Perishables include the warehouse-style retailer’s First Street-brand bacon, cheeses and meats as well as organic fare under its Sun Harvest label. There’s also health and wellness-focused Good & Well sections, which include organic and natural foods, plus products for business and household customers such as to-go containers, janitorial supplies and foodservice items. Customers can order online and get home delivery through Instacart at shop.smartandfinal.com.

Compared with traditional Smart & Final stores, the Extra! locations house an additional 6,000 club-size items. The Commerce, Calif.-based retailer began transitioning its legacy Smart & Final stores to the Extra! banner in 2008. Of the chain’s 327 total stores, 200 are Extra! locations, 63 are traditional Smart & Final stores and 64 are Smart Foodservice Warehouse stores.

Related:Smart & Final bullish on online grocery efforts

Smart & Final’s last five openings have all been Extra! stores, including the new Long Beach location this month, two in September (Huntington Park and San Jose, Calif.) and two in July (Bullhead City, Ariz., and Oroville, Calif.).

Overall in 2018, Smart & Final plans to open five new Extra! stores and relocate three. Another three Smart Foodservice stores are slated to be opened in the second half of the year.

Smart & Final executives yesterday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local officials and community leaders at the new Extra! store in Long Beach, where the company opened the very first Smart & Final store.

"We look forward to welcoming our friends and neighbors and showing them that they'll find much more than a traditional grocery store,” commented Jason Oliva, store manager for the Smart & Final Extra! in Long Beach. “Whether they're shopping for their family, business or organization, or looking to host a memorable event, we can be their one-stop shop for farm-fresh produce, organic foods, party supplies and bulk sizes on hard-to-find items."

Smart & Final has stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Utah and operates another 15 stores in northwestern Mexico through a joint venture.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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