Thursday, December 6, 2018

Celebrating 5 Years of AFB!


     Has it really been 5 years of AFB already?!?! It really doesn't feel like it's been that long since I started this blog! And 5 years ago there were still 4 Albertsons stores left in Florida. Now there are none, after the three Florida Safeway stores got absorbed into Publix (because they don't have enough stores in Florida already). In addition to that big news, we also saw SEG dive into bankruptcy in 2018, Lucky's Market expand like crazy, and Publix debut their retooled GreenWise Market stores. So yes, 2018 was a busy year for supermarkets in Florida! It will be interesting to see where 2019 will bring us, although I can guarantee you one thing: more Publix stores will be opening near you!

     In 2018, we've covered plenty of interesting stores here on the blog, from a Publix in an old Winn-Dixie, to an Albertsons that went up in flames, to a Winn-Dixie inspired by the culture of China. Florida supermarkets and retail are quite unique, and I'm happy to bring you even more of my home state's weird, interesting, and unique grocery stores, in addition to continuing my journey to cover all of these old Albertsons stores still floating around this state (before Publix gets any more ideas!). 2018 has been a great year for the blog (nearly 320,000 pageviews strong!), and I hope 2019 brings us even more great times and fun adventures!

     Keep scrolling down to see this year's review of posts and some other random facts and figures. Below that you'll also find today's feature post, where we revisit an Albertsons store with some pretty neat Albertsons artifacts left behind! 

Enjoy, and thanks for another great year everyone!

AFB
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The Year in Review (and Some Random Stats):

Albertsons Stores Covered:

#4412 - Oviedo, FL (The most popular feature post of the year)

Bonus Buy Stores Covered:

Harvey's Supermarket #1714 - Cocoa, FL (Second most popular feature post of the year)
Kash n' Karry Lives - Kash n' Karry #1895 - Ocoee, FL (Third most popular feature post of the year)

Safeway Florida Store Count: 0 (-3 from 2017)
For Comparison, Publix's store count in Florida: Just about 800 (Yeah, we have a lot of Publix stores here! That's three quarters of Publix store base!)

Additionally, 2018 marked the launch of AFB's new sister site, My Florida Retail. Be sure to check that out too!

13 comments:

  1. Congratulations on 5 years! May AFB and My Florida Retail continue for many more.

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    1. Thank you! I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!

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    2. You're welcome - will Bonus Buy store posts here be moved over to My Florida Retail as time permits?

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    3. Bonus Buy stores will continue on AFB, still focusing on stores outside of Albertsons that I find to be rather interesting, historic, or unique (such as weird conversions, rare designs and decor, profiles of other long dead Florida grocery chains, etc.). My Florida Retail content will be the home for everything else.

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  2. Happy five-year anniversary! Congrats on the milestone, and looking forward to all the new content in the future!

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  3. Awesome stuff as always! Keep it coming, and happy 5 year blogiversary!

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  4. Congratulations on the five year anniversary, AFB! I had no idea there were so many Publix stores in Florida...

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, Publix really dominates everything down here. I can't think of any other grocery chain with such a high concentration of stores in a single state anywhere else.

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