Save Mart gets “Lucky” in San Francisco

The Modesto, Ca.-based Save Mart chain of 217 supermarkets has embarked on a major rebranding effort in the Bay Area where a new 61,000-sq.-ft. protoype bears a reimagined Lucky California banner.

The new store in Daly City opened July 1 and according to the company it will change the way neighborhood grocery stores serve the Bay Area. The new format, Save Mart’s first new prototype in 20 years, will provide shoppers with the diverse, eclectic flavors and foods that they eat every day—whether they are looking for prepared foods to carry out or all the ingredients to cook at home, according to the company.

“With the massive influx of competition in the grocery industry, we have seen tremendous market segmentation. Through it all, traditional supermarkets have remained much the same,” said Nicole Pesco, Save Mart’s co-president and chief strategy and branding officer. “Save Mart is stepping out of the box with our introduction of Lucky California – a fusion of Bay Area culture and California sourced and grown, presented with meal solutions at competitive prices.”

The store’s new display concept will feature constantly changing snack and meal hubs where shoppers will be encouraged to try new flavors. It is a precursor to other changes to come in the Bay Area where Save Mart operates 72 stores. Plans call for the rebranding of all locations to the Lucky California banner from just plain Lucky at a to-be-determined timetable.

“As a Central Valley-based company, we get what locally grown means to our shoppers. We place a premium on sourcing our food from local farms, producers, manufacturers, chefs and purveyors. Lucky California will truly deliver the flavors of California,” Pesco said.