Smart & Final Extra! format reaches milestone

Smart & Final Stores Inc. has opened its 200th Smart & Final Extra! location, continuing its long-term plan to shift its store base to the bigger format.

The new 30,000-square-foot store, at 4480 Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach, Calif., serves up everyday low prices on more than 16,000 SKUs of food and groceries in household and club sizes, including expanded frozen, deli and meat assortments and a full fresh produce section with organic options.

Perishables include the warehouse-style retailer’s First Street-brand bacon, cheeses and meats as well as organic fare under its Sun Harvest label. There’s also health and wellness-focused Good & Well sections, which include organic and natural foods, plus products for business and household customers such as to-go containers, janitorial supplies and foodservice items. Customers can order online and get home delivery through Instacart at shop.smartandfinal.com.

Compared with traditional Smart & Final stores, the Extra! locations house an additional 6,000 club-size items. The Commerce, Calif.-based retailer began transitioning its legacy Smart & Final stores to the Extra! banner in 2008. Of the chain’s 327 total stores, 200 are Extra! locations, 63 are traditional Smart & Final stores and 64 are Smart Foodservice Warehouse stores.

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Smart & Final’s last five openings have all been Extra! stores, including the new Long Beach location this month, two in September (Huntington Park and San Jose, Calif.) and two in July (Bullhead City, Ariz., and Oroville, Calif.).

Overall in 2018, Smart & Final plans to open five new Extra! stores and relocate three. Another three Smart Foodservice stores are slated to be opened in the second half of the year.

Smart & Final executives yesterday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local officials and community leaders at the new Extra! store in Long Beach, where the company opened the very first Smart & Final store.

"We look forward to welcoming our friends and neighbors and showing them that they'll find much more than a traditional grocery store,” commented Jason Oliva, store manager for the Smart & Final Extra! in Long Beach. “Whether they're shopping for their family, business or organization, or looking to host a memorable event, we can be their one-stop shop for farm-fresh produce, organic foods, party supplies and bulk sizes on hard-to-find items."

Smart & Final has stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Utah and operates another 15 stores in northwestern Mexico through a joint venture.