Former Shoppers - Manassas (West), VA: Before the Fall (Part 1)

Today I am embarking on a long-awaited store tour series, one that has been in my queue for a while. Sorry for the wait on this one - organizing these photosets was difficult. Nevertheless, it's been solved and I'm here to present it to you at last!

 Store info

• Address: 10684 Sudley Manor Dr, Manassas, VA 20109
• Store number: #25 (original)#23xx (SuperValu)
• Opening date: Circa 1986
• Closing date: January 3, 2020
• Renovations: Circa 1996 (expansion to Shoppers Club), 2009, 2016
• Features: Pharmacy (closed May 7, 2019), Provident/M&T Bank (closed 2012), Deli, Bakery, Seafood, Floral, Walk-In Beer Cooler, Wine, Kitchen Shop, International Foods

The store originally opened around 1986 within the Bull Run Festival, as part of the Bull Run development on the edge of Manassas. For the first several years, it was a typical barebones warehouse Shoppers store. It, however received an upgrade in the mid-1990s to the then-new Shoppers Club concept, adding specialized departments and products comparable to warehouse clubs. Despite SuperValu shifting Shoppers to a more conventional grocery store, its influence in town continued to last.

...That is, until the past year or so. Under the auspices of SuperValu/UNFI combining to leave behind their own retail storefronts, this store has gradually wound down from its status in the following photos. This will be another multi-part series of mine: I have four photosets ready to go, which will be here on this blog in the coming weeks. With that being said, let's delve into the opening chapter.

Photos taken on April 17, 2019 by The Battery Mill

For our first photo of the tour itself, we take a look at a retro sign advertising the in-store pharmacy on the left side of the store. At one time, there were other neon signs attached under these facades, including one for the in-store bank that closed in 2012.

Adding on to Shoppers Pharmacy-related scenery, we see an insurance plan poster as one of the main advertisements seen as one walks into the store.

Following this photoset, Shoppers announced that it would terminate pharmacy operations, selling prescriptions to drug store giants CVS and Walgreens. The move was conducted on the basis of SuperValu trimming their stake in retail, even more so based on UNFI (who had recently acquired SuperValu)'s debt.
How would this work for the eventual sale of Shoppers? Sources state this transaction aided the sale of stores to tenants that generally do not operate in-store pharmacies - uses such as e-commerce fulfillment centers were touted as examples, whereas price impact grocers such as Lidl and Compare Foods became primary tenants for former Shoppers after the December 2019 sale. (This store, in particular, has seen no known successor.)

Prior to the Shoppers Club expansion, the left corner of this photo would likely hold the bakery section. Since the expansion, the area has featured seafood and meat products.

A small seafood counter, featuring fish and an open service kitchen for employees. With the original SuperValu Fresh & Healthy package in the late 2000s, Shoppers introduced service seafood departments to older stores which often lacked such a counter. Hope you get a chance buy the fresh catch of the day here!

Value beef & chicken or quality burgers & steaks? Which one could it be? It's up for you to decide.

Have a look at a nice, quaint bakery stocked with cakes for every occasion. The bakery itself is uniquely located, on behalf of the Shoppers Club expansion in the mid-1990s.

The bakery, along with the deli department, was pulled away from its original location wrapping around the produce department. This created a "grand court" featuring these service counters working in tandem with buffet bars and other grab-and-go selections. The design was minimized within the 2009 remodel, leaving behind a curious backroom area (where the cheese and olive bars would once be located). This is something I have photographed before over on Flickr, and will be revisiting during this series.

Now looking towards the front end, we see the last days of the pharmacy operation in this store. The bulk of large item pallets are an unrelated, yet ominous telltale sign of what's on the horizon.

Both the pharmacy and bank spaces were introduced to this store in 1999, around the time of SuperValu's acquisition of Richfood (who then owned Shoppers). Both additions helped shape Shoppers into a conventional grocer, separating themselves from their traditional discount warehouse mantra. Prior to the introduction of these departments, this space would have likely belonged to bread or wine products (common in this portion of the salesfloor at the time).

M&T Bank quietly "withdrew" their service banking operations from most Shoppers stores in 2012, however remaining stores continue to feature ATMs managed by the firm. Since then, the space became an employee break room, with the pharmacy decor having been extended down the wall.

Completing today's store tour, I present to you with an idyllic look at Shoppers aisles and endcaps, as viewed from the front end. Whether you're looking to grab some milk and go, browse gift cards, or prepare for a banana and Nilla Wafer treat - you've got it all within the bounds of this photo.
On the right side of the image, one may also see the International Foods section and the Kitchen Shop, a new department introduced with the 2016 remodel.

Part 2 continues right where we left off, with more supplemental views of the store as well as the aftermath of the pharmacy closing. Till then, don't touch that dial!