Pueblo Supermarkets
U.S. Virgin Islands | |
Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor |
---|---|
Owner | Ramón Calderón |
Divisions | Pueblo USVI |
Subsidiaries | Amigo Supermarkets |
Website | https://puebloweb.com |
Pueblo is a Puerto Rican supermarkets chain. It has been one of Puerto Rico's major supermarket chains since 1955.
History
The brainchild of brothers
In 1963, Pueblo expanded beyond
The company also introduced the trademark Pueblo which included items from paper towels to rice.
In 1983, Pueblo launched the Xtra Super Food Centers concept, a discount warehouse supermarket which allowed the customer to shop for groceries in a larger store format featuring lower prices with stores located in Puerto Rico and the state of Florida. The lower prices were made possible by the elimination of some services, such as baggers. In 1989, Pueblo acquired the franchise rights to develop
Bankruptcy
In 2003, Pueblo faced financial troubles and there were rumors of a potential buyer from Venezuela.[citation needed] In 2007, Pueblo faced serious financial difficulties again, as many locations were sold to other competitors. Some were acquired and taken over by rival supermarkets
]Bidding and Pueblo, Inc. (f/k/a as PS Acquisition)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/El_Monte_Mall_%282%29.jpg/275px-El_Monte_Mall_%282%29.jpg)
The entire chain was auctioned in September 2007 as part of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy process, where a bid by Ramón Calderón president of Holsum of Puerto Rico (a baker goods company) for $139 million succeeded in taking over the rest of its operations.[1] The Bankruptcy Court in Delaware approved the transaction. The new company expected to restructure Pueblo in an effort to revive the brand.
In September, 2009 Pueblo, Inc. sold its flagship store in Campo Rico Avenue, Carolina (next to their Corporate Headquarters and Distribution Center) to Econo Supermarkets.
In April 2012, Pueblo acquired two former Supermercados Selectos stores in Southeast Puerto Rico and converted them into Pueblo, in Arroyo and Guayama.[2]
In February, 2014, Pueblo opened a new store in Ciudadela, Santurce.[3]
In May, 2016, Pueblo relocated their Monte Mall store in
Pueblo Supermarkets acquisition of Amigo Supermarkets
In June 2022, Pueblo Supermarkets announced that it would be buying the 11 Amigo Supermarkets from Walmart, the name would stay and the 1,100 employees would keep their jobs. On August 26, 2022, the transition from Amigo to Pueblo supermarkets began.[citation needed]
Blockbuster Video Franchise
On June 27, 1990, it was reported that Pueblo International had inaugurated its first video store "Blockbuster Video" on Campo Rico Avenue in
Closure
On June 3, 2013, it was reported that Blockbuster had spent some past three months quietly closing its stores in Puerto Rico, a market it would possibly be exiting that summer. Since January of that year, the chain had closed several stores, such as in Plaza Río Hondo and the San Patricio Plaza, and that past week it had begun liquidating stores in Caguas, Cupey, De Diego Avenue in San Juan, Plaza Carolina and Rexville Plaza in Bayamón. During an informal round of the stores that were holding close out sales, it was confirmed that most, if not all locations would be shuttered by August of that year. The Blockbuster chain had underwent a significant transformation about four years earlier, when local franchisee BB Entertainment of Puerto Rico, LLC, which was headed by entrepreneur Susana Santamaría, invested about $1 million to purchase 13 locations from the Colorado-based corporation. That transaction, which secured the Blockbuster operation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, markedly whittled down the chain’s presence from the 40 stores it had at the height of its success. By this point the chain had already closed stores in Hato Rey, Isla Verde, Plaza del Norte in San Juan, Fajardo, Mayagüez, and Aguadilla. The closings of local Blockbuster locations in Puerto Rico and the USVI mirrored what has been taking place stateside, where parent company Dish Network had announced that January that it planned to shutter 300 stores across the U.S. "soon."[6] By June 20, 2013, it was reported that after almost four years of having acquired the Blockbuster store chain in Puerto Rico, Susana Santamaría would be closing the following month the last stores that were still open.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Supermercados Pueblo ya le pertenecen a empresario boricua". November 2007.
- ^ "Pueblo expande la cadena". El Nuevo Día. April 24, 2012.
- ^ "Pueblo abrirá en Ciudadela en Santurce". El Nuevo Día. February 4, 2014.
- ^ "Pueblo reinaugura en Monte Mall". El Nuevo Día. May 26, 2016.
- ^ "El Mundo 1990.06.27 — Archivo digital de El Mundo". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Blockbuster reportedly exiting Puerto Rico market". News is My Business. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Blockbuster se despide". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2024-01-14.