![]() Managers were not able to deviate from a set list of products to carry, and all stores were required to maintain their GM section in the front center of the store. As such, the focus of the company was far from the Houston Division of Eagle, which was set to operate in a strict set of rules. Like Hancock Fabrics, and an auto parts chain, along with other established grocery chains that operated well outside of Lucky’s territory. Acquiring other chains that didn’t operate in the grocery field. During this time period parent company, Lucky continued to diversify its operations. ![]() These newer stores would be smaller than the original locations and often lacked service departments to feature the general merchandise selection. Throughout 1974-1978, only four new Eagle Supermarkets were built in Houston. Photo Source: 1976 Lucky Stores Annual Report From 1972-1974, Lucky would hold off on adding more Eagle Stores to Houston, instead opting to expand their GEMCO operations. It was not warehouse-based like Sam’s Club or Costco, bearing more resemblance to a small Wal-Mart or Globe. ![]() The chain had been another one of Lucky’s earlier acquisitions and was a membership-based discount store. In 1972 Lucky Stores Inc, would bring a new concept to the Houston market, GEMCO. Instead, Eagle would tout their stores as being larger, better merchandised, and for the most part comparably cheap. This would deeply impact Eagle’s initial operations, as they were for the most part unable to keep up with the discounts the larger chains were able to offer. While Eagle was easily able to meet and usually beat their pricing, the introduction of Safeway into the mix created a three-way price war. At the time, Kroger, who had recently dropped the Henke’s banner, was one of the cheapest options for chain supermarkets in Houston. While this initial rollout for Eagle was immensely exciting and put them far ahead of other out-of-state competitors, growth beyond this was somewhat slow. On June 23, 1970, four Eagle stores opened simultaneously throughout Houston, with a fifth store planned to open within the next month. This in addition to low prices were the main pull of Eagle Discount Supermarket. While Safeway was already building true supermarkets in the 70s, the Eagle Stores were decidedly larger and carried a broader range of merchandise. ![]() The bump in the timeline was not accidental, but rather a direct attempt to compete with Safeway, who had entered Houston in May 1970, just a block away from Eagle’s newly announced fifth store. Houston had also been bumped from four to five stores, with three of the four original locations already planning to open by mid-July. The plans for the Texas Division of Eagle included 60-150 stores “mostly within Texas”. By 1970 plans had materialized that would make Houston Lucky’s fourth regional HQ, a wise move as the distance from both Lucky and Eagle operations would otherwise limit operations. These stores would all be at least 32,000 square feet in size, and in addition to a full supermarket, they also sold apparel, hardware, home goods, and health and beauty items. In July 1969 Eagle Discount Center announced its intention to build four new “discount centers” in Houston. These stores would make up the newly created Lucky Midwest Division. After Lucky’s acquisition, all stores were converted to the new Eagle Discount Supermarket name, to match the strategy Lucky had succeeded with along the West Coast. At the time, Eagle operated stores mostly in Iowa and had recently been merged with a wholesaler’s Piggly Wiggly operation out of Chicago. In 1968 Lucky wanted to expand their success across state lines, and did so by purchasing a long-established grocer, Eagle Food Centers. By the 1960s, the chain was vying for expansion beyond the West Coast, where they had successfully been buying up and converting other grocery chains. Pouncing on this opportunity proved to be immensely profitable, with Lucky being one of the earlier chains in California to implement modern supermarkets. Lucky’s roots trace it back to San Diego, California, starting out as a collection of six former Piggly Wiggly stores in the 1930s which were purchased by a collection of ex-store managers after their franchisee went bankrupt during the Great Depression. ![]() Eagle Discount Center Supermarket, was Lucky Stores Inc’s attempt at entering the Houston market In the 1970s. ![]()
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