Superquinn to become SuperValu

Heroditas

Well, as it turned out, I needed to do the weekly shop this week in the newly rebranded SuperValu/Superquinn in Lucan.
I gotta say that I was very impressed with the new look of the place since they spent a bit of money on it.
The stock seems to have improved and they've improved the layout a bit. Superquinn was very dowdy for a while when it went into receivership and even after Musgraves took it over but it looks great now.

Also, the Superquinn in Rathborne is fantastic since they rebranded it. They improved the layout, much more stock in it and it even had a proper butcher's counter now. It's also a lot brighter. Anyone who previously went to it will know that it was nothing more than a glorified dingy Centra. It's now a proper supermarket.

Thumbs up so far. I probably still won't do all my shopping there but it's a big improvement on what I've experienced in the supermarket in Lucan for the last two years.

wanrek

Heroditas wrote: »

Well, as it turned out, I needed to do the weekly shop this week in the newly rebranded SuperValu/Superquinn in Lucan.
I gotta say that I was very impressed with the new look of the place since they spent a bit of money on it.
The stock seems to have improved and they've improved the layout a bit. Superquinn was very dowdy for a while when it went into receivership and even after Musgraves took it over but it looks great now.

Also, the Superquinn in Rathborne is fantastic since they rebranded it. They improved the layout, much more stock in it and it even had a proper butcher's counter now. It's also a lot brighter. Anyone who previously went to it will know that it was nothing more than a glorified dingy Centra. It's now a proper supermarket.

Thumbs up so far. I probably still won't do all my shopping there but it's a big improvement on what I've experienced in the supermarket in Lucan for the last two years.

I went in Yesterday to buy my usual essentials and it was €8.70 dearer than when it was Superquinn. Boycott from me from now on.

Ice87

I've done most of my shopping in Superquinn/Lidl for the past two years and I'm sad to see SQ go but I'm sure SuperValu will be doing all they can to retain customers.

In my experience, I always found Lidl and Aldi to be superior to Tesco and Dunnes for both quality and price but SQ was a level ahead due to the meat and bakery section. It was nice knowing that the option was there.

The one big question I have is will their chicken rolls/wraps still be the same?

Heroditas

wanrek wrote: »

I went in Yesterday to buy my usual essentials and it was €8.70 dearer than when it was Superquinn. Boycott from me from now on.

Really? Bloody hell that's quite a jump.

Menas

wanrek wrote: »

I went in Yesterday to buy my usual essentials and it was €8.70 dearer than when it was Superquinn. Boycott from me from now on.

We noticed the same but could not put a figure on it. The veggies seem a lot more expensive.
Wish I had an old superquinn receipt to do a proper comparison.

tippguy

wanrek wrote: »

I went in Yesterday to buy my usual essentials and it was €8.70 dearer than when it was Superquinn. Boycott from me from now on.

Unless you bought the exact same shopping list as before then you can't make the above comparison. Fair enough if you had your superquinn receipt and bought the exact same products but there is no way you did.

BetterThanThou

Rarely use Superquinn, their deli is delicious though, much better than other places.

LoganRice

R.I.P Superquinn. I'll miss all of the stores.

Sulla Felix

Superquinn had been going downhill for a long while though. The sausages weren't as good, nor the baked goods, since they farmed out the work centrally rather than doing it in store.

Supervalu has it's problems too, mainly in consistency. My local one is excellent, but I've visited some that are truly shocking.

Same can be said for any franchise though. There's some great, well run spars, and some awful ones. etc etc

Oranage2

I remember shopping there to buy stuff to make burritos. Came to 22 euro, did an identical shop in aldi and it was less than a Tenner. I also remember buying the ingredients for a breakfast role for 2 people, it was very tasty but I could of bought 2 breakfast roles in a cafe for a similar price.

Some nice food but far too expensive.

Heroditas

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Superquinn had been going downhill for a long while though.

The rot set in when Fergal Quinn sold up.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

wanrek wrote: »

I went in Yesterday to buy my usual essentials and it was €8.70 dearer than when it was Superquinn. Boycott from me from now on.

I actually started going to Superquinn when Musgrave's took over because before that they were far too expensive compared to Supervalu and Tesco.

SpaceTime

Sulla Felix wrote: »

Superquinn had been going downhill for a long while though. The sausages weren't as good, nor the baked goods, since they farmed out the work centrally rather than doing it in store.

Supervalu has it's problems too, mainly in consistency. My local one is excellent, but I've visited some that are truly shocking.

Same can be said for any franchise though. There's some great, well run spars, and some awful ones. etc etc

To be honest though, the lack of consistency in retail here goes across all the major brands.

Some Tescos and Dunnes are rather rough and ready compared to their flagship stores.

padd b1975

Sliced edam cheese with chilli discontinued. :mad:

BetterThanThou

padd b1975 wrote: »

Sliced edam cheese with chilli discontinued. :mad:

Pretty sure you can get that in Aldi and/or Lidl.

SpaceTime

padd b1975 wrote: »

Sliced edam cheese with chilli discontinued. :mad:

I can see why

Kavanam

Very disappointed with the Supervalu store in Lucan in recent months and even since the re-brand. Bought several fruit items a couple of weeks ago which were rotten when I got them home, as well as chicken and fish which smelled abysmal when taken out of its packaging, despite still being in date according to the label. My husband brought the fish back and was offered a credit note. The fruit went in the bin as I just didn't have time to return it.

The store itself is akin to a big empty barn - loads of products missing from the shelves and nothing like the same amount of produce in the bakery. As for the wine section - don't get me started! It has been decimated of all the lovely, interesting wines that SQ had and now stocks the same generic wines you'd expect to find in Spar or corner shop. The meat counter seems to be more or less the same from what I can see, which is something. I've started shopping in Lidl for fruit, veg and all the basics and find the quality very good.

Hoping that there's more investment to come in the Lucan store and that it'll be improved in the near future. I know that most of the 'good' SV stores are run by franchisees - I'm assuming that none of the former SQ stores which have become SV are - so perhaps that's one reason for the dip in quality.

Sartre

The Lucan store is in the middle of a major revamp at the moment which should be very impressive when it’s done. Stock is a big problem there, though. A lot of branded products were de-listed a while ago, right around the time the luxury Supervalu range was introduced. They also have a new interim efficiency manager or something in there to oversee the revamp who hasn’t been endearing himself to staff or customers, so there’s been a noticeable dip in service. Shame as it used to be a fantastic shop. Hopefully things will improve once they get the revamp out of the way.

Kavanam

Hmm interesting - all makes sense. The new SV signature range looked promising and had a couple of bits which were fine, until I tried one of the desserts at home and it had completely gone off - really vile. It's completely put me off the range for the moment.

I'll be interested to see what the revamp brings and hopefully it improves to at least the standard of the old SQ - but for the moment Lidl and M&S are getting my grocery dollah

RahenyD5

Kavanam,

If the Lucan branch is unsuitable then perhaps you could try the Blanchardstown Main St branch, the state of the store and layout is not so bad as it looks similar as it was under the Superquinn name, almost as if the rebranding never happened.

I suppose it's over the river if you don't fancy paying the M50 toll so whenever you decide to shop at Blanchardstown SC then you could drop in that branch on your way back?

Kavanam

RahenyD5 wrote: »

Kavanam,

If the Lucan branch is unsuitable then perhaps you could try the Blanchardstown Main St branch, the state of the store and layout is not so bad as it looks similar as it was under the Superquinn name, almost as if the rebranding never happened.

I suppose it's over the river if you don't fancy paying the M50 toll so whenever you decide to shop at Blanchardstown SC then you could drop in that branch on your way back?

Yeah it's a good idea, thanks - it's a bit of a hike for the weekly shop but worth bearing in mind for when in the area. The other option in that neck of the woods is the Dunnes in B-Town which my husband swears by - again not the most convenient in terms of location but may suit on occasion.

If the Tesco in Liffey Valley ever gets the go-ahead, it'll seriously shake up all the others also. I do genuinely hope the SV in Lucan gets back on track as it's the most convenient for us so I'll be watching the revamp with interest.

Heroditas

Out of necessity, I had to do the weekly shop again in SQ Lucan on Friday.
Very disappointed. The shelves were quite bare for one of the most important times of the week and left without quite a few bits and pieces on my list which I subsequently got in Spar in Penny Hill.
A lot of the stuff wasn't exactly exotic either, for example: red onions and chickpeas!

I have to disagree about the wine selection. I haven't noticed any marked drop in the selection. There's still some decent wines in stock although I always go out of my way to get my wine in the village anyway.

SpaceTime

Could it be because it's currently undergoing a major revamp?

Heroditas

SpaceTime wrote: »

Could it be because it's currently undergoing a major revamp?

Hmm possibly. At least, I hope so.
However, the stuff was regular stuff I'd expect to be in stock, revamp or not.

Capt'n Midnight

Kavanam wrote: »

I'll be interested to see what the revamp brings and hopefully it improves to at least the standard of the old SQ - but for the moment Lidl and M&S are getting my grocery dollah

Don't forget that Fonthill has both a Lidl and Aidl which is handy for fruit/veg offers.

Thing about aldi pears is you may need to let them ripen first but then they can be the nicest ones.

And there's also an asian food shop too if you want exotic stuff http://www.eurasia.ie

The Tesco in Lucan isn't great for fruit/veg but is open a little later.

A lot of the supermarkets fruit / veg is bought in Smithfield so I'm always freaked out by how much some charge compared to others.

Pherekydes

Went to SV Lucan tonight only to find it closed. New closing hours are 6 p.m., Mon to Wed. Who closes at 6 these days?

We are doing more and more shopping in Dunnes and Lidl, despite the fact that SV is 3 minutes' walk.

It seems to me that Musgraves are actively driving custom away at this stage.

Heroditas

6pm Mon-Wed? I appreciate the place can be quite empty those evenings after 7 or 8 but that new closing time will actively turn people off the place, particularly when everywhere else stays open far later.

miss no stars

Sutton store gone downhill.

Both trays of tomatoes bought there on Thursday had rotten tomatoes in them by Saturday and a use by date well into the future. You'd get that happening the ODD time during the summer before but two trays? In winter?

Also, mum went in to get a few bits and pieces today including bananas and a mango. SQ ALWAYS had bananas and individual mangoes. No individual mangoes, just multipacks (how many people buy a multipack of mangoes?! Surely most people buy one). As for bananas? No bananas to be had in the entire shop. None. Bananas for flip sake. Fruit and veg section apparently looked like there'd been a run on the shop the shelves were so empty. She asked the girl at the counter beside the exit what was going on with the lack of bananas and was met with a couldn't-care-less shrug and a "eh I dunno?". Never seen it like that even in the days after Christmas years ago when it was SQ. Oh and she couldn't ask customer services because they did away with the customer services desk. Nice one SV. Fcuk the place up and then don't give anyone somewhere to go when they want to ask why they've run out of staple items like fruit and veg.

It's not a one-off either. I was doing the shop a couple of weeks ago but do you think they had any conference pears? Nope. None to be had. Despite SQ having reliably had them in stock for years. On the plus side, they did give my mum a sizeable bag of stuff for free the other day.

hoodwinked

well i am sorry to report back and say,

just home from supervalu in Grange in Cork and oh my god the difference a few months makes,

things we used pick up for between 1-3 euro ALL over €5...

their bakery had soggy bread roles (not one was fresh yet the baskets were full of them) - actually its probably why it was full of them, as all the others were empty this at 4.30pm and the store is open until 8pm.

went to get some of their 3 for €2 fruits and vegetables all of which were out of date today or tomorrow,

went to pick up some lettuce, iceberg lettuces all going off today, the rest had no best before dates on them so i wasn't going to buy them,

all the 'offers' they used to do on useful products like butter, yogurts, cheeses, all had nothing on, where there used always be something useful on offer,

the cereals prices are daylight robbery compared to Tesco prices, the frozen veg section had no frozen carrots, (since the fresh ones wouldn't last till her lunch tomorrow)


i know "best before" is not the same as "use by" but i refuse to buy something today thats not at its "best" after today when elsewhere i can get a few days out of it before it's "best before" hits...

we used spend maybe €50 a week and that would included expensive enough items, today we got none of those, just the basics (that we could find) and it cost €52 now we will have to go shopping again elsewhere tomorrow to pick up the many bits we couldn't get today. :mad: so its not just the SQ stores going down hill it is SV stores too!

Flippyfloppy

Really disappointed in the Lucan branch. Every time I've gone there in the last couple of weeks it's getting worse, they've completely changed the layout now, the packaged meat is on one side and the butchers counter is on the far side. As superquinn it was laid out perfectly now it's just grey aisle after grey aisle, with tiny signs above them making it difficult to see whats where. In fairness, in some areas they do have large signs stating where things have changed to, and the ever helpful staff are amazing helping people find things. But by god they should have left well enough alone. I agree with other posters who state that Supervalu do not stock the freshest products, my local tesco is the same. No more fresh food for moi!! Or nice wine section.