Food Lion to close four Savannah stores

January 12, 2012 - 12:05pm

By Adam Van Brimmersavannahnow.com Copyright 2012 Savannah Now. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

January 12, 2012 - 12:05pm

Food Lion to close four local stores

Food Lion's parent company, Delhaize America, will close four area stores within the next 30 days as part of a larger "repositioning" strategy, the grocery giant announced Thursday.

Among the stores affected are two of the company's newest and most bally-hooed local stores: The market at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Gwinnett Street that opened last March and the Southbridge location that opened in 2009.

The Food Lion in the Eisenhower Square shopping center and another store in Rincon were also on the closure list, which included 113 stores in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia.

"Food Lion is focused on repositioning our business for future growth," said Cathy Green Burns, president of Food Lion, in a press release. "By closing underperforming stores, we will continue to position Food Lion for success, especially in light of our brand strategy results."

Local reaction was not so positive. Word of the MLK store closing swept through Savannah City Council chambers Thursday. Alderman Van Johnson, who represents the district, called the news "devastating."

Added Mayor Edna Johnson: "The city is obviously very disappointed with this news. The store served an area that was underserved, including public housing residents, senior citizens and SCAD students."

The MLK location has attracted "local interest," according to Jackson."That is why we are going to continue to look on the bright side and not give up on it," she said.

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You can read the article in its original context, complete with asinine public commentary, at Food Lion to close four local stores.

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

Crime Affects Commercial Property As Well As Residential

Yesterday my co-worker Kim Iler asked me to ride with her to one of her commercial property listings to meet a customer there. She was smart to ask me because the property, on Ogeechee Road, is vacant and set back from the street.

She wanted my company because she didn't know the person/people she was meeting and mace can't prevent all criminal attempts.

When we pulled up we saw the front door to one of the buildings was forced open and the door on another building were swaying in the breeze. So she called the Chatham County Sheriff's Office to report the incident.

We sat in the car upon the advice of the dispatcher, which was just as well considering it started to rain. Officer Bena arrived, got our story and then called for back-up. Officer Marshall (no relation) quickly arrived. As they searched the first building Kim's customer pulled up.

It can't be a good thought that crosses a customer's mind when he makes an appointment to walk a property and arrives to find two cops yelling "Police!" from inside it.

Kim explained the nature of their visit and he volunteered that the doors had not been busted open when he drove by the property at 7p.m. the night before. So now the officers could narrow the time the crime occurred. After they cleared each building Kim walked around explaining the virtues of this investment to the customer.

While I'm not looking at any statistics right now, I think it is safe to say break-ins are on the rise. The community recently saw the theft of A/C units from just empty churches on Isle of Hope and the Boy Scouts Coastal Center. So what can a property owner do to protect her property? (In this case, the owner lives in Florida.) You can use an alarm system (most practical), file paperwork with the Sheriff's Office to permit them to patrol the property and arrest anyone on it (practical) and alert the neighbors (generally effective).

Fortunately for me and Kim, it isn't our job to protect your property in your absence, but we can help out when something goes wrong.

This particular property owner is lucky- nothing was stolen (A/C units, appliances, wiring, etc...) and there was no extensive damage from smoke or graffiti. All the trespassers left were a broken door and empty Twinkie wrappers.

Savannah Police Say That A/C Unit Theft Increasing Again

Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department advises that A/C unit theft from vacant "for sale" or "for rent" properties is on the rise again.  This goes for both commercial and residential properties.

I wrote about this in March and I mentioned this was occurring mainly in Southside and West Chatham.  See for yourself at http://www.raidsonline.com/.

The latest thefts don't just involve vacant buildings, but empty ones. A/C units were stolen from Skidaway Island United Methodist church, Isle of Hope Baptist and the Coastal Empire Council of Boy Scouts when no one was there.
Be vigilant! I have heard these criminals are bold. They show up with a truck or van, walk straight to the A/C, say they are doing repairs or an inspection if questioned and then carry it away.

I'm not suggesting you intervene, but talk to the neighbors of your vacant properties and ask them to call the police if they see anything suspicious.