Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox company| company_name = Dominick's | company_logo = [[File:Dominick's Logo.svg|200px]] | company_type = [[Grocer]], [[Subsidiary]] of [[Safeway Inc.]] | location = [[Oak Brook, Illinois]]| foundation = 1918 ([[Chicago, Illinois]])| industry = [[Grocery|Retail (Grocery)]]| products = Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor | homepage = [http://www.dominicks.com/ www.dominicks.com] }} '''Dominick's Finer Foods, Inc.''' is a grocery store chain and subsidiary of [[Safeway Inc.]] with locations mainly in the [[Chicago area]], [[Illinois]], USA. Dominick's distribution center is located in [[Northlake, Illinois|Northlake]],<ref>"[http://suppliers.safeway.com/usa/pdf/dc_directory.pdf Distribution Centers]." ''[[Safeway Inc.]]'' 2. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.</ref> while its management offices are located in [[Oak Brook, Illinois|Oak Brook]].<ref>Gallun, Alby. "[http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=5692 Dominick's losing its local flavor]." ''[[Crain's Chicago Business]]''. June 17, 2002. Retrieved on December 23, 2009.</ref><ref>''Hoover's Masterlist of Major US Companies, A-Z''. [[Hoover's]], 2005. [http://books.google.com/books?id=dWvM6SmvD1wC&q=%22dominick%27s%22+%22Oak+Brook,+IL%22&dq=%22dominick%27s%22+%22Oak+Brook,+IL%22&hl=en&ei=-45ZTbvxD8igtwfH4qT9DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ Page number not stated]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on 14 February 2011. "DOMINICK'S FINER FOODS, INC. 711 Jorie Blvd. Oak Brook, IL 60523"</ref> ==History== ===Founding=== Dominick DiMatteo, born in Sicily, founded the chain in 1918. The second Dominick's opened in 1934. In 1950, the DiMatteos opened their first [[supermarket]], a {{convert|14000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} store.<ref name="answers">{{cite web |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/dominick-s-finer-foods-inc |title=Dominick's Finer Foods, LLC |publisher=Answers.com}}</ref> ===Expansion=== By 1968 the chain had reached 19 stores. The family elected to sell their store to the [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] company, Fisher Foods. The DiMatteos continued to operate the chain under the financial backing of Fisher Foods. By the 1980s the family became unhappy with the agreement and bought back the chain for $100 million.<ref name="answers" /> The DiMatteos continued to expand and acquired Kohl and Eagle stores. ===Store design during Dominick's heyday=== During the 1980s and early 1990s, Dominick's experimented with new large "food and drug" combo stores. Dominick's was one of the first to experiment with exposed ceiling sales areas, exposed structural elements such as piping and HVAC ducts, large scale state of the art telephone systems and POS systems, video departments, one hour photo, bulk foods, and many other "new" 1980s concepts.<ref>Book: Market, Supermarket & Hypermarket Design, Author: Martin Pegler, Year: 1989</ref> During the 1990s, Dominick's took the "food and drug" combo to the next level with the introduction of the Dominick's Fresh Store, under the direction of then CEO Bob Mariano. The Dominick's "Fresh Store" introduced prepared foods, in store restaurants/cafes, Starbucks cafes, soft lighting, upscale subtle graphics, uniform products signage, and a general European Market feel to the Dominick's stores. During the late 1990s, the Fresh Stores were the main expansion model for Dominick's and was rolled out to all new stores including former Omni Superstores, up until the purchase by Safeway. Safeway bought Dominick's in 1998 and put an abrupt halt to the Bob Mariano styled Fresh Stores and instead rolled out their own prototype with the Fresh Store logo on the outside of the store.<ref name="Crain's Chicago Business">{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=18836 |title=Safeway's mistakes offer lesson for new Jewel owner|publisher=Crain's Chicago Business|date=2005-12-16}}</ref> Even though Safeway still put "The Fresh Store" cursive logo on the outside of the stores, the Fresh Store concepts such as cafes, fresh prepared foods and European store layout format were phased out in favor of Safeway's own store layout and house brands such as Safeway Select. This caused many customers to stop shopping at Dominick's. Only lately, has Safeway regained market share with Dominick's by their introduction of the new "Lifestyle Format" which greatly reflects many of the concepts of the former Fresh Stores Bob Mariano created in the 1990s.<ref name="Crain's Chicago Business"/> ===1990s: Takeovers=== In 1993, Dominick DiMatteo died from lung cancer. According to the local press, his daughters and son did not have the same passion for the supermarket business. There was corporate infighting that also contributed to the family selling the chain. It took three years before the company was sold to a Los-Angeles-based grocery investment firm headed by Yucaipa Co.<ref name="Duff">{{cite news |last=Duff |first=Mike |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_6_44/ai_n13619837 |title=A taste of Calif. lifestyle in Dominick's Chicago stores |publisher=DSN Retailing Today |date=2005-03-28}}</ref> Starting in 1996, Dominick's "Fresh Stores" were developed by then president Bob Mariano, and stores starting having various new services, such as carry-out food, specialty bakeries, delis, floral shops, and in-store dining. The stores were a hit and made higher profits than traditional supermarkets. Under the leadership of Mariano they grew profitable, since Mariano had knowledge of Chicagoland's taste for ethnic foods. In 1998, the chain's then 116 stores were acquired by [[Safeway Inc.]] Safeway soon began to sell its own private-label brands at Dominick's locations, replacing Dominick's former private-label brands. According to Jim Hertel of grocery consultancy Willard Bishop Consulting Ltd., "Dominick’s focused on purchasing produce and meat on quality first, price second. Safeway did just the opposite."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=18836 |title=Safeway's mistakes offer lesson for new Jewel owner |publisher=Crain's Chicago Business |date=2005-12-16}}</ref> Dominick's lost market share and profits following the Safeway takeover. Safeway tried to imitate the model that had been successful in California, but Chicago's strong ethnic background did not mesh well with the California shopping experience. Between 2002 and 2007, Dominick's market share in the Chicago region declined from 24.4 percent to 14.5 percent. [[Jewel (supermarket)|Jewel-Osco's]] 40.5 percent is the market's leader.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0702130239feb13,1,6035879.story?coll=chi-news | title=Roundy's joins Chicago grocery fray | publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=2007-02-13}}</ref> Safeway unsuccessfully attempted to sell the Dominick's chain in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2005/03/07/daily10.html |title=Talk of Safeway sale of Dominick's gets louder |publisher=East Bay Business Times |date=2005-03-07 |first=David |last=Goll}}</ref> Safeway then reported Dominick's financial information as a discontinued operation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sec.edgar-online.com/2003/05/06/0000950149-03-001039/Section7.asp |title=Safeway Inc., Form 10Q |publisher=Securities and Exchange Commission |date=2003-05-06}}</ref> but more recently, Safeway announced that it was retaining the chain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.suntimes.com/business/371923,CST-FIN-safe05.article | title=Safeway has no intention to sell Dominick's chain |publisher=Chicago Sun-Times |date=2007-05-05}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> After closing more than 20 stores since its acquisition, Safeway announced in February 2007 that it would close another 14 stores in the Chicago area and convert 20 existing stores to the lifestyle format.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23729 |title=Dominick's to close 14 local stores |publisher=Crain's Chicago Business |date=2007-02-02}}<br/>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0702030033feb03,1,1776029.story?coll=chi-news-hed |title=Dominick's to close 14 area stores by April | publisher=Chicago Tribune | date=2007-02-03}}</ref> After these store closings, Dominick's will operate 83 locations. ==Omni Superstore== [[Image:Omni superstore 3.JPG|left|thumb|250px|Omni Superstore, Schererville, IN, 1991: canopy for loading groceries]] {{Main|Omni Superstore}} In 1987, the chain opened Omni Superstore locations, which were "warehouse-style" supermarkets to stave off [[Cub Foods]] supermarkets. Besides traditional food items, these stores featured non-food items, movie rentals stores, and bulk items. The stores design was stark in comparison to Dominick's and featured cost-cutting techniques. These stores began to lose money due to lack of loss prevention and throwaway inventorying. Around 1996 then-owner Yucaipa decided to convert them to the Dominick's "Fresh Store" concept. Omni Superstores were converted to Dominick's Stores in 1997. After Dominick's was acquired by Safeway, some locations were closed. The Clybourn Avenue Dominick's in Chicago is the only remaining Omni Superstore building now occupied by Dominick's. ==Brands== Dominick's private label brands vary between those branded for [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]] and ones branded Dominick's. Safeway's most notable private label is '''Safeway Select'''. In 2006 Safeway released a private brand of organics named "O Organics". ===Lifestyle branding=== On April 18, 2005, Safeway, Dominick's parent company, began a 100 million dollar brand re-positioning campaign labeled "Ingredients for life". Although the campaign is used in the Chicago area, the "Ingredients for Life" slogan is still positioned with the store's logo like it is for Safeway's other divisions (i.e. at the end of commercials and on billboards Dominick's logo is flashed combined with the slogan, as used in Safeway's other divisions). Under this campaign many stores will be remodeled to the new format. Lifestyle stores feature more upscale trends than Dominick's last re-branding, "Fresh Stores." Usually Lifestyle stores feature an olive bar, carving station, [[Starbucks]], and a salad bar. Architectural changes include hardwood flooring and new direct lighting schemes that tend to be less abrasive. While Safeway's logo was redesigned under the campaign, present Lifestyle stores feature the traditional Dominick's logo. The first Dominick's to be branded a Lifestyle store was in [[Northfield, Illinois|Northfield]].<ref name="Duff" /> ===Banking=== Realizing the ease of in-store banking, Dominick's formed an agreement with First Chicago NBD Corp., the first bank opened in 1995. Today, many Dominick's feature in-store bank locations and [[automated teller machine|ATMs]] by First Chicago successor, [[Chase (bank)|Chase]].<ref name="answers" /> CW RULES!!!!!! ==Sales of Expired Food Controversy== On February 17, 2011 CBS Chicago News aired a report<ref name="CBS Report">{{cite web |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/17/mom-blogger-finds-cartloads-of-expired-date-food-at-popular-grocer/|title=Mom Blogger Finds Cartloads of Expired Date Food At Popular Grocer|publisher=CBS Chicago}}</ref> picked up on from Chicagoland blogger Jill Cataldo<ref name="Jill Cataldo 1">{{cite web |url=http://jillcataldo.com/node/15175|title=Expired Food at Dominick's First In A Series|publisher=JillCataldo.com}}</ref> about a widespread issue with the sale of expired products in Dominick's stores. Legions of Dominick's customers had apparently been contacting Dominick's about these issues for some time to no avail. In two separate shopping trips to two different Dominick's stores, Ms. Cataldo along with two of her readers, documented over 700 expired items on the store shelves, some more than 2 years past their expiration dates.<ref name="Jill Cataldo 2">{{cite web |url=http://jillcataldo.com/node/15267|title=Expired Food at Dominick's Second Second In A Series|publisher=JillCataldo.com}}</ref> On that same day The Chicago Tribune featured an article<ref name="Chicago Tribune Article"> {{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0218-dominicks-food-20110218,0,1178507.story|title=Outdated Items At Dominick's Angers Customers|publisher=Chicago Tribune.com}}</ref> on the Dominick's expired food issue. In that article, Safeway, as parent company of Dominick's, released the following statement to the media: “Dominick’s customers rightly expect they will find only high-quality, fresh products at all of our stores. Our organization is committed to meeting those expectations. While expiration dates on food products are largely based on quality, not food safety, that does not diminish the fact that we are displeased with the out-of-date products found at our stores. This is not indicative of how we do business. A high-level and highest-priority team has been assembled to immediately address these issues.” Reports of shoppers witnessing Dominick's employees in the aisles of their stores filling carts with expired products began popping up in the comments sections of these articles. On February 18, 2011 various Chicagoland media outlets also ran reports on this problem including NBC Chicago<ref name="NBC Article">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Angry-Customers-Complain-Dominicks-Sold-Them-Expired-Items--116468968.html|title=Angry Customers Complain Dominick's Sold Them Expired Items|publisher=NBC Chicago}}</ref>, WGN Morning News<ref name="WGN Morning News">{{cite web |url=http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/9c61912a-1033-4f51-b1ab-38be41ea3654/News/Dominick-s-addresses-expired-food-concerns|title=Dominick's Addresses Expired Food Concerns|publisher=WGN TV}}</ref> and WBBM AM Radio. Scores of customers had taken to the Dominick's Facebook page<ref name="Dominicks Facebook Page">{{cite web |url=http://www.facebook.com/Dominicks|title= Dominick's Facebook Page}}</ref> demanding answers about the volume of expired products on their shelves, but Dominick's remained silent on the issue prior to Ms. Cataldo's blog posts and the subsequent media coverage. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal box|Chicago|Illinois|Companies|Food}} *[http://www.dominicks.com Dominick's] *[http://mobile.dominicks.com/ Official mobile version] {{Safeway, Inc.}} [[Category:Safeway Inc.]] [[Category:Companies established in 1918]] [[Category:Companies based in Chicago, Illinois]] [[Category:Supermarkets of the United States]] [[Category:Private equity portfolio companies]] [[Category:Companies based in DuPage County, Illinois]]'