Martin's - Front Royal, VA

Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill, where... alright, I'm no cynic, but let's just get on with the post.

 

Photos taken July 26, 2020 

 

Store information

• Store number: #6282
• Address: 409 South St, Front Royal, VA 22630
• Opening date: ca. 2003 (per Historic Aerials)
• Decor package: Today's Table (pictured: Giant-PA Swirls)
• Features: Deli, Floral, Bakery, Pharmacy, Beer Cooler, Wine, Nature's Promise Aisle, The Marketplace Kitchen

If you know me, then you know I've covered Giant, a supermarket chain based out of Landover, Maryland, extensively on my blog and on my Flickr. While I've uncovered their history, as well as new sister chain Food Lion's for many years, I had never stepped inside the other Giant owned by Ahold (Delhaize). That was, until one fateful day in the summer of 2020. I thought, "why not check out another new grocery store?" and that thought led me to one of their stores. More specifically, Martin's, which is essentially a clone of Giant-PA.

 

Through my exploration of this store I got to see yet another retailer that I only saw through the pixels of my computer screen in person, and I was able to judge the decor in front of my very eyes. Not before I left some photos behind, of course. I'll tell you all about what I think of it later, especially as the tour is coming up.

 

But first, I have to ask. What exactly is Martin's, and how did they get to Front Royal? Let's find out.

Store background

Martin's was once a little chain of supermarkets based in Hagerstown, Maryland (about 70 miles north of Front Royal). It was founded by Clarence Martin around 1950, and grew to several more locations in the city before being subsumed by the Carlisle, Pennsylvania-based Giant Food Stores in 1970. From there, Giant-PA retained the Martin's nameplate, integrating their strengths while descending down Interstate 81/U.S. Route 11 and into West Virginia and Virginia. Martin's was also a handy way of avoiding confusion in places where Giant-PA would run stores close to other "Giant" chains, including western Pennsylvania's Giant Eagle and Giant-MD. The combined Giant-PA/Martin's chain would eventually join under the umbrella of Dutch supermarket conglomerate Royal Ahold in 1981, setting the stage for changes to come.

 

As fate has it, Giant-MD and Giant-PA did eventually join forces. Ahold bought out the former in 1998, following the passing of president Izzy Cohen three years earlier. Some Martin's were divested in favor of Giant-MD, while other cities kept their Martin's as Giant-Landover departed.

 

Not much is known about Martin's history in Front Royal, though from what I've gathered on Historic Aerials, the store looks to have been built around 2003 on top of an existing building. Once opened, Martin's anchored the Royal Plaza shopping center alongside Kmart (now closed and converted into a Rural King). If you do have any more sources as to when Martin's first came to down, do let me know!

 

Currently, Martin's is the only full-service, non-hypermarket grocery store in Front Royal. Previously, Food Lion operated just a block away at Gateway Plaza. With Martin's and Food Lion being the only two significant supermarket players in the Shenandoah Valley, Front Royal was impacted by the 2016 merger between Royal Ahold and Delhaize. To meet FTC antitrust standards, the two parties chose to give up the area's Food Lions. This was likely as these stores (operated by Delhaize) were smaller and often lacked robust prepared foods selections, as well as pharmacies. The Front Royal Food Lion would be sold to SuperValu and reopened as a Shop 'n Save, only to close by 2019 as the Minnesota-based wholesaler was curtailing their retail operations.

 

Otherwise, Martin's competes with an Aldi and a Walmart Supercenter located across Interstate 66. The only potential competitor to this store would be Publix, who has announced stores in nearby Winchester and Stephens City. The green Floridian grocery behemoth has so far not hinted at stopping here, a little south of those cities, to shake up Front Royal's grocery scene. Therefore, Martin's stands alone in this regard... at least for now. So I say, why not finally get on with the tour?

Store tour 

 

 

Let's start our tour with a directory to help plan our visit. There are multiple in the store, but obviously, taking photos of just one was enough for now.

 

Interestingly, this design has made its way to Giant-MD, albeit in their own colors. What's also noteworthy there is that the chain has used hanging store directories like this long before coming into the Ahold fold.

 

Whether you see both chains having a history with store directories as a tandem operation or just a common enough facet of grocery retailing, it's still a great idea to have these in the stores. It really does save the hassle and doesn't rely on smartphone apps, which may or may not always be at a customer's disposal.

 

According to the plan (or lack thereof), our first stop will be in the produce department. This is where we can get acquainted with the decor package. For one, I really appreciate the whimsy of the patterns as well as the stock photos associated with each department head. I'm sure someone was having a blast designing and lighting this package up!

While we're in produce, why not say 'hi' to Marty? He's the spill-detecting robot trawling the store, looking for, well, spills. You've got to see him in person to believe his ways. As I took this picture, he was sliding through, beeping with the exact same sound as a register, googly eyes wobbling around. He was also sporting a face mask, perfect for pandemic times like these.

 

Marty was first implemented at Giant-PA, but he has made his way to nearly all other Ahold Delhaize USA banners, including Giant-MD and Food Lion. He has been lauded in the press for pushing the way for automation in American retail as well.

 

Diverting our attention away from that lovable computerized creature, we are able to see the rest of produce, as well as floral. The displays that day seemed to be well-organized, that's for sure. 

 

 Getting to the aisles, our first stop will be in the Nature's Promise Organic/natural foods aisle. I for one appreciate Ahold's practice of creating dedicated and clearly visible natural foods aisles/departments in their stores. The inclusion of nearly every product category in this one aisle means there is a "store-within-a-store" effect, curtailing these products from the rest of the store. I like this exclusive vibe here. I especially appreciate how this aisle lines up with the tall entrance window. Really "shines a light" on this aisle...

 

 Behind the organic aisle, this is what greets us the perimeter. Cool beer, frozen seafood, and cereal bars... the perfect summer treat combo!

 

What I do like here is the addition of a cold beer cooler, something I wish was more common throughout grocery/convenience retail. Also, I will have to give props to not only the decor package designers, but to the store team for decorating the shelf above the beer coolers. Really makes the summer feel special!

 

 

No Aisle 12 today, sadly... though I do have Aisle 15 on camera. The store appears to have gone through a slight remodel around 2017 or so. A few new fixtures were installed, including entirely new aisle markers. I like how they're now three-sided, but on the other hand I dislike how these clash with the rest of the decor package. But hey, at least it helps you bring home the bacon!

 

 

Now making our way around to the left side of the store, we find ourselves in the egg and cheese portion of dairy. Above the cooler we are able to see more employee-set decorations, albeit ones you may or may not be able to purchase from Martin's. Continuing with the 2017 partial remodel, gooseneck signage has also been updated to match the aisle markers - though this is something that's common within grocery retail.

 

We turn another corner, this time to check out the Corner Bakery Shoppe. How about some Carvel ice cream cakes or fresh rolls today?

The service departments standing clearly apart from the self-serve departments was a good idea, I would say. The flooring being dynamic at stores like these was another excellent choice on the designers' behalf. Examples like this and the organic aisle's patterning really do add to the dynamic range of the decor package.

 

Ahold rolled out updates to the bakery and produce racks at all their stores in 2015. While it fits with fully remodeled stores, and adds emphasis to useful features, the new color scheme feels just as out of place at this store as are the aisle markers.

Something interesting I've seen at other retailers above their service kitchens is that dark ledge that is exposed to the rest of the store, as we see above the crown moulding. I hope it isn't too dusty back there, just saying.

Immediately to the left of the bakery, we can see the phamacy in all its glory. The department is sporting the "Relax. Renew. Revive." theming which started at Giant-MD in 2001 and made its way to other Ahold brands. 

Speaking of which, placement of the above two departments does remind me of what Giant-MD was doing in the "Fresh Ideas. Great Values." days with their newbuild stores. The bakery and the pharmacy were located in one of the front corners, depending on how the building was oriented. Ditto here at Martin's. I do know the layout was first implemented in 1999 (one year after Ahold took over), but I have heard it was in the works earlier, or at least without their input. I'll need to do more research on that.

Lastly, we arrive at the checkouts. What can I say except those are some huge checkout lights?

Actually, I do have more to say about this front end scene. On lane 16 you can see LED candy shelf lights, a nice merchandising innovation that, to me at least, is really underrated. What's more, the store looks to have two stories... at least for employees only. A mezzanine office discreetly watches over the store, as seen by the small windows above the exit doors.

Before I forget, R.I.P. Redbox.

Conclusion

Since my visit in 2020, the store was updated to the latest Giant-PA decor in its first total renovation. It looks sleeker and organized, but that's all I can say about it. It's more gray blandness, at least in the way I see it. I will say that the package pictured here is not a decor package that really resonates with me either. Now there are things I do appreciate about the package. In its original form, it's really well constructed when new, and has tons of color affixed to it. My criticism lies in that its 2000s kitsch hasn't exactly aged like wine, especially with the clashing decor pieces and lighting upgrades. I might have a more favorable opinion towards it if I were far more familiar with Giant-PA or Martin's, but that has never been the case for me.

Overall, I felt the store was decent enough for Front Royal, being large and packed with a good deal of prepared foods. 

Now, as usual, it's time for my post-related questions. What do you know about Martin's and Giant-PA? How would you compare those banners to other Ahold Delhaize USA properties like Giant-MD and Food Lion? Feel free to sound off in the comments below.

As always, thank you for checking this out! I'm proud to share some of these sights from my travels, and I hope to check in with you all again next time with more incredible retail stories. Until then, keep shopping along and uncover your very own discoveries!