The other day we were looking for a certain kind of wine, and just weren’t finding it in the supermarkets. We’d noticed ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in Westwinds of Boca before but had never been so we paid a visit.
It’s huge inside with a broad selection. We spoke with one of the staff and he was very helpful, giving us an array of choices.
There’s more than wine inside, with liquor and cigars too.
There are locations all over Florida.
This one is in Westwinds of Boca (aka the Home Depot plaza).
We are not aware of any comparable stores in the area. We wonder if our readers know of others they might suggest.
Category: Stores
Inside the West Boca Hobby Lobby
We stopped by the old Beall’s site in West Boca Square the other day. The door was open so we managed to get a few pictures. Above you can see the front of what will be the West Boca Hobby Lobby entrance, facing US-441. We expect the store to open in October.
On the inside this next panorama shot gives you some sense of the vast space you get with a 52,000 square foot store before it’s fitted out.
Perhaps the most interesting bit we noticed is what you see on the left side of the above picture. The Beall’s occupied 78,000 square feet. On the far left you see the beginnings of a wall separating Hobby Lobby’s space from the other 26,000 square feet. Here’s another shot of that wall:
As we reported the other day, this space will be filled by the first West Boca Aldi’s Food Market. Aldi would neither confirm nor deny the new store, so we don’t have an opening date. Our best guess is similar to Hobby Lobby, sometime this fall.
ALDI Coming to West Boca?
Update: As of mid-April 2015 the work is now underway on the ALDI store. We stopped by the scene and our video is at bottom of this message.
Aldi Food Market, a grocery store, looks like it’s coming to West Boca. We had been puzzled about the size of the incoming Hobby Lobby, slated for 52,000 square feet but replacing the 78,000 square foot Beall’s in West Boca Square. What would happen to the other 26,000 square feet?
We think we have our answer now. Aldi will be moving into the southern end of the building where the doors face Chili’s.
West Boca Square is on the northwest corner of the intersection of West Palmetto Park Road and US-441 (State Road 7).
We heard it from a source we consider very reliable and saw evidence consistent with what the source told us. We contacted Aldi via Twitter to check and they would neither confirm nor deny it:
@WestBocaNews We’re expanding in many markets and will announce new Grand Openings here: http://t.co/QTJrATOnsJ.
— ALDI USA (@AldiUSA) May 29, 2014
Here’s a map with the existing grocery stores in green boxes and the new ones in red boxes:
With the reopening of the West Boca Walmart (including groceries) on the opposite corner, we estimate the two together will add over 40,000 square feet of grocery space to the area. That’s a 20% increase on what’s already in place.
Aldi, a chain based in Germany, first arrived in Florida in 2010 per the Sun-Sentinel. Like Walmart, they’ve positioned themselves as a discounter claiming low prices, but not carrying as many items as some other groceries. This will put significant price pressure on most of the competition, and West Boca residents should expect to save a few pennies.
Aldi stores are also typically smaller than other supermarkets. As the image above shows, Fresh Market in Mission Bay is the only grocery store smaller than the incoming Aldi. Fresh Market is also the only one of the stores that does not position itself primarily on price, but rather is considered a “gourmet supermarket” with higher end products.
There are other important differences in how Aldi works.
1. They don’t take credit cards – only cash, debit cards and EBT (welfare) cards.
2. You have to put a quarter in to get a cart, and you get it back when you return the cart.
3. Bags aren’t free. Bring your own or prepare to pay for them.
4. Fewer choices – They have a much smaller inventory with only 1400 items vs. 30,000 for a typical supermarket, and a lot of their own Aldi brands that they claim are better quality than national brands.
The promise behind all of these details is claimed lower prices. If you believe what they’re saying, you’ll save as much as 50% on your groceries. This could get interesting.
Video from April 10, 2015:
Answers on the West Boca Walmart
Walmart has now responded to our questions we asked about the store they’re reopening as a Walmart Supercenter on the southeast corner of Palmetto Park Road and 441. Maybe it was our anger at their delays that shook the tree, or maybe we overreacted and they were getting us these answers anyway.
1. Can you describe how the new store will be different from:
a. The store in that location before it closed; and
The former store was a general merchandise store – which was Walmart’s original format. It did not include the full range of groceries our customers tell us they are looking for. We are adding this component to the remodeled store we are opening.
b. The newer store 2.5 miles south, at Hillsboro and 441.
The store in Coconut Creek was a Supercenter (meaning it had both groceries and general merchandise) from the beginning. The new West Boca store will also be a Supercenter, but not as large as Coconut Creek.
2. You indicate in your last message that the hiring center will open 4-6 months prior to the September opening. But 6 months prior would be in March, and 4 months prior is this month. Can you clarify that?
We still don’t have an exact date for the hiring center to open, but it should be soon. In the meantime, those interested working at the new store can fill out an on-line application.
we think this is where you can fill out an online application:
Walmart Online Hiring Center.
3. As I have the details, the West Boca location closed in 2008 and is now reopening roughly 6 years later. In that time Walmart spent roughly $700K in property tax on the location. Can you offer any insight into the business decision-making that went into spending that amount on a closed store? In the same vein, what led to the decision to reopen it? Were there demographic or economic changes in the community that influenced the decision?
The Boca Location is a good one, and we have always intended to re-open this store. A small Supercenter at this location will offer customers the convenience and affordable prices they are looking for.
4. The Coconut Creek location carries ammunition and hunting gear, but no actual firearms. Will the West Boca location also offer those items, and will it sell firearms?
The new West Boca store will NOT carry firearms. It will carry ammunition.
5. Do you think the new West Boca store will reduce business volume at the Coconut Creek store, and if so, by how much?
We expect both stores to do well and would not speculate on the volume of business at either location.
6. We’ve read about Walmart implementing new technologies in some stores to serve customers better. Are there any particular new technologies that will be offered in the new store that are not presently offered in Coconut Creek?
Except for size, the two stores will be similar in the features they offer to customers.
7. A lot of our readers (including myself) are happy about this store reopening because it’s a hassle to drive to the Coconut Creek store and we don’t like the parking lot setup. Had you heard that from West Boca customers and did that play a role in the decision to reopen?
Yes. It is clear that our customers are looking for shopping opportunities that are both affordable and convenient. The new West Boca store will offer easy access and significant savings to many in the area.
The image below shows the location where the West Boca Walmart will be reopening.
Disappointing Response From Walmart
About three weeks ago we got good contact information for the incoming Walmart in West Boca. We sent e-mails to them asking questions about what they’re doing and why.
Update: A number of commenters seem to think we’re anti-Walmart. We’re not. We are Walmart customers and the author of this article often defends Walmart on issues like minimum wage. We are, however, anti-dishonesty.
Our stories have been positive about the reopening. But we’re disappointed that they’re not giving us any answers to our questions. They’re not even telling us they won’t answer. They’re just stalling. Or lying.
They gave us some initial details but not much:
· The store is undergoing a complete interior renovation which will allow it to convert to a 120K Supercenter with a full grocery section; all the renovations are staying within the existing box.
· The store will create 300 new jobs, with a hiring center that will open about 4-6 months prior to the store opening in September 2014.
· The store will offer a full selection of grocery, a deli, bakery and pharmacy.
On May 7th we asked some follow-up questions and were told they’d get back to us in a few days. A week later we noted that it had been more than a few days, and got another vague response the next day: “Sorry for the delay, we are working on getting you these answers!” That was 11 days ago.
Here are the questions we asked:
1. Can you describe how the new store will be different from:
a. The store in that location before it closed; and
b. The newer store 2.5 miles south, at Hillsboro and 441.
2. You indicate in your last message that the hiring center will open 4-6 months prior to the September opening. But 6 months prior would be in March, and 4 months prior is this month. Can you clarify that?
3. As I have the details, the West Boca location closed in 2008 and is now reopening roughly 6 years later. In that time Walmart spent roughly $700K in property tax on the location. Can you offer any insight into the business decision-making that went into spending that amount on a closed store? In the same vein, what led to the decision to reopen it? Were there demographic or economic changes in the community that influenced the decision?
4. The Coconut Creek location carries ammunition and hunting gear, but no actual firearms. Will the West Boca location also offer those items, and will it sell firearms?
5. Do you think the new West Boca store will reduce business volume at the Coconut Creek store, and if so, by how much?
6. We’ve read about Walmart implementing new technologies in some stores to serve customers better. Are there any particular new technologies that will be offered in the new store that are not presently offered in Coconut Creek?
7. A lot of our readers (including myself) are happy about this store reopening because it’s a hassle to drive to the Coconut Creek store and we don’t like the parking lot setup. Had you heard that from West Boca customers and did that play a role in the decision to reopen?
I might think of more questions, but these are a good start. I understand you may not be able to answer all of them, but I’d appreciate anything you can tell me.
We’ve followed up with them twice and we keep getting vague delays. At this point we’ve given up. They’re not going to answer our questions.
If they had just said that it was their business practice not to answer such questions, we could have lived with that. Lying to us is disappointing. And yes, when you tell someone you’ll get them answers in a few days, no answers twenty days later makes it a lie.