Grocery - Kroger - May 3, 2006

Upgrading, expanding

Customers of the Old Louisville Kroger grocery store at Second and Breckinridge streets will see it get a new look in coming weeks and grow in the next few years, instead of moving.
After five years of searching for another site, Kroger has decided to expand at its present site.
Land acquisition and details regarding the size are being worked out, but executives of the Cincinnati chain say they'll expand the 26,000-square-foot store to add departments and improve selection.
For now, the store is getting $200,000 to $300,000 in renovations that should be completed by early June.

Reactions to the changes have been mixed.

Louisville resident Glenn Baines said he appreciates what he's seen since renovation work began in February. He walks to the store at least five times a week, he said.
"The aisles seem a little bigger," he said as he left the store one recent afternoon. "It looks better."
Johnny Fontaine, another Old Louisville resident who visits the store regularly, said the renovations are overdue.
"I don't mind the inconveniences because they're going to make things better for customers," Fontaine said. "As long as they're willing to keep improving things, I'm willing to continue shopping here."
But David Domine, a Third Street resident and author, said that while he welcomes the remodeling, the store still doesn't compare well with larger, newer ones in others area of town.
Domine heads the Squeaky Wheel Club, a group of Old Louisville residents formed in March to bring attention to neighborhood issues through letter-writing and phone campaigns.
"We've been aware for a while that they were trying to change things, but they've been saying that for a while," Domine said. "We're still going to try to stay on them."
Store improvements include new inside decor, checkout lanes, freezer cases, lighting, refurbishment of restrooms and repaving the parking lot. Also included is installation of a sensor system to lock the wheels of any shopping cart leaving the property.
"We're still a couple of years away from being able to do everything we want to do at that location," said company spokesman Tim McGuirk. "But the remodel is something we think needs to be done right away to bring the store up to standard for the next couple of years until we're ready to do the full remodel."

Then and now...

In 2001, Kroger unveiled a proposal for a 40,000-square-foot store at Fifth and Breckinridge streets the site of Cunningham's restaurant before a fire destroyed it that July.
Many Old Louisville residents opposed the plan, saying the store would be architecturally incompatible with surrounding buildings. They also said it could bring traffic congestion and security problems.
In late 2002, city development officials proposed a land swap to allow Kroger to expand its Second Street location and leave the Fifth Street site for construction of mixed-income housing.
That idea drew support from some residents, but Kroger officials said the city didn't provide enough details to allow the company to consider the proposal seriously. Soon after, Kroger abandoned the Fifth Street plan, saying resident opposition would make it too difficult to get needed zoning changes.
Since then, Kroger has considered sites throughout the area, including a former car dealership west of Seventh Street and Broadway, and another at the intersection of Seventh and Oak streets.

Reporter Sheryl Edelen can be reached at (502) 582-4621.

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