Construction Underway on New Ralphs Supermarket in Roseville

Search Blogs that Mention this News Release
Click this link to view linked Bookmarking Services
Click this link to view linked Blogging Services
Construction Underway on New Ralphs Supermarket in Roseville
            Plans Also in Place for New Stores in El Dorado Hills,
                           Elk Grove and Sacramento

    RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction is scheduled
to begin this week on a brand new Ralphs supermarket in the Placer County city
of Roseville.  The new store will be the company's first supermarket to be
built from the ground up in Northern California.
    "We are very excited about the construction of the first all-new Ralphs
supermarket in the greater Sacramento area and the opportunity it gives us to
expand our presence in Northern California," said John Burgon, president of
Ralphs Supermarkets.  "We're excited about the potential of this new
supermarket and look forward to providing Roseville shoppers with Ralphs fresh
approach to service, quality and convenience."
    Ralphs is working with real estate developer Cahan Properties to build the
supermarket at 4051 Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard near Pleasant Grove Boulevard.
The store will anchor the new Woodcreek Village Shopping Center, which will
feature a mix of restaurants, and retail and service-oriented businesses.
Other businesses in the center will include a Starbucks, Dominoes Pizza,
Pick Up Stix and Golden One Credit Union.
    Scheduled to open in mid-summer, the 52,000 square-foot Ralphs supermarket
will offer Roseville residents the finest in one-stop shopping convenience.
Customers will find everything they need in the new store: from a full-service
delicatessen and bakery to a professionally staffed floral department, as well
as meat, seafood, produce and grocery departments with thousands of
high-quality products and competitive prices.  The new Roseville Ralphs will
also house a full-service pharmacy.
    In addition to the new Roseville store, the company's expansion plans call
for the construction of three other new supermarkets in the Sacramento area in
2002.  Ralphs will begin construction on the first of these stores this spring
in El Dorado Hills.
    The new Ralphs Supermarket will join a Long's Drugstore and a Starbucks in
the new El Dorado Hills Marketplace at Town Center located at Latrobe Road and
Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills.  The 52,000 square-foot store, which is
scheduled to open in the Fall, will carry more than 35,000 items and feature a
number of specialty departments including a full-service deli, bakery, seafood
and floral departments.  For customer convenience, the store will also offer a
full-service pharmacy.
    Other stores planned for the year are a new Ralphs in Elk Grove at the
corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Bruceville Road and a new Foods Co
Food & Drug Warehouse in Sacramento at the corner of Northgate Boulevard and
San Juan Road.
    Ralphs Grocery Company also announced plans to close five under-performing
stores in the greater Sacramento area within the next three months.
    "Ralphs remains committed to serving the greater Sacramento area with our
customer-focused approach to growth in the marketplace," said Burgon.  "I'm
excited about our future and we will continue our forward momentum through a
combination of new store openings and remodels."
    Ralphs has been serving the greater Sacramento area since September 1999
when it acquired 31 stores from Albertson's, Inc., which was mandated to
divest the stores as part of its merger that year with American Stores Co.
Since then the company has invested significantly in remodels and other
improvements to these stores.
    In addition to its superior supermarkets, Ralphs is well known for its
extensive community involvement.  In 2001, the company contributed more than
$2 million to support charitable and community organizations.
    Ralphs Grocery Company currently operates 54 supermarkets in Northern
California, including 27 Ralphs Supermarkets, 20 Cala Foods and Bell Markets
and 7 Foods Co Food & Drug Warehouse stores.  The company was founded by
George A. Ralphs in 1873 and currently operates more than 450 conventional and
price-impact supermarkets under the Ralphs, Food 4 Less (Southern California),
Foods Co and Cala/Bell banners in California and southern Nevada.
    Ralphs Grocery Company is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of
the nation's largest food retailers based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/732950.html
CONTACT:
Terry O'Neil of Ralphs Grocery Company,
+1-310-884-4680