Lucky to Become Maxx Value Foods

by Sheila D'Amico

News that the Laurel Lucky will change to a Maxx Value Foods in March raised citizen concerns. Save Mart is the parent corporation of both stores. While the Laurel Lucky carries about 20,000 products, Maxx Value Foods carries about 5,000. Commenters posting on the Laurel Village Association (LVA), Maxwell Park, and Allendale listservs feared that the change from Lucky as an anchor store to a discount store with fewer products would lead to deterioration of the business district and would not supply the variety and the quality of items shoppers wanted.

Maxx Value intends to build relationships and be active in community events and efforts such as this tour where Lucky educated preschool children about food. Photo by Bryan Farley.

I spoke with Manager Patrick McBride, who told me that the new store will carry the items that currently sell in Lucky, but will not carry items that do not sell. There’s more to the Lucky story of course. Current employees will be leaving. Both stores are union but operate under different contracts. McBride said about 95 percent of the workers got their first or second choice for a move to a different store. He expected that new employees will be hired for the market from the community, but the details were not clear.

Executives from Save Mart met with Laurel District Association Executive Director Tommy Wong, LDA member merchants, residents, and Councilmember Libby Schaaf. Renais Winter represented the LVA at the meeting and reported back that "Save Mart people thought our Lucky store was awful." She said Save Mart planned to improve outside lighting, security systems, and aesthetics of the store. She also said Maxx Value Foods was a small scale store suitable to the 11,000 square-foot size of the site.

Winter said the store will "have organic produce, meat, eggs, and dairy available, depending on what people request and, more importantly, buy."

LDA’s Tommy Wong thanked the community for getting involved. Wong told Save Mart representatives that the lack of public notice and communication was a contributor to public concerns. Save Mart told Wong that the Maxx Value model predicates its success on neighborhood support and relationship-building, and that the store would be an active partners in community events and efforts.

Save Mart was open to Councilmember Schaaf’s suggestion to create a website that will allow for community input. Winter said the LVA will post the link when the website is up.