This Discount Grocery Chain Looks Completely Different Now

The last two years of the pandemic have been eventful for Save A Lot, which closed about 100 stores and sold hundreds more to retail partners. Save A Lot announced plans to overhaul its business model in December 2020, and the discount grocery chain just made a major update on its progress.

The company announced on Feb. 10 that its transition to a "pure play wholesale model" had been completed. There are more than 900 Save A Lot locations in 32 states, and retail partners are now able to customize their stores to "cater to the tastes and preferences of their individual customers." A new logo, updated packaging, and a marketing campaign introduced shoppers to the brand refresh back in July of 2021, according to Supermarket News.

The transition is a big one—before 2020, Save A Lot operated about 1,000 locations in 33 states. Now, dozens of stores have been purchased by new ownership groups, including Ascend Grocery LLC (33 stores in Florida) and Yellow Banana LLC (38 stores in five states). There were plans to remodel about 100 stores in 2021, with all stores set to be upgraded by 2024.

"Becoming a wholesaler was an important step in Save A Lot's mission to lead as the brand of choice for value-oriented consumers, putting the company on an entirely new financial trajectory," Mark Hutchens, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said. "We've entered 2022 with strong momentum and improved financials that will help fuel the growth of the business in the years ahead."

This isn't the only grocery store chain keeping things cheap. Costco just put a ton of food items on sale—here's what dietitians say you should buy.