Local Owner Takes Over 10 Save A Lot Stores in New Orleans

Save A Lot has transferred 10 corporately owned stores in the New Orleans metro area to a locally based independent owner who will operate them as a licensee.

Brandon Trosclair, a second-generation supermarket owner behind the Ralphs Market and Butcher Boy stores in Louisiana, is now operating the following Save A Lot locations:

The stores will undergo what the St. Louis-based discounter said was “significant” refreshment and a reorganization of its store designed to make shopping them more convenient, with near-term plans to remodel them.

“As a Louisiana native having served local communities all my life, we are attuned to what our neighbors want in their shopping experience, and our focus on excellent customer service and quality, all with a hometown grocery feel, is sure to resonate with the neighborhoods in which we’re entering,” Trosclair said in a statement. “We take pride in our connections with customers and the local farmers from whom we source a wide array of food items, which customers are sure to notice. And as a family business, we look forward to expanding our ‘family’ through extensive community and charity involvement in the area to better serve our customers and neighbors alike.” 

The deal is another in a string of corporate-to-independent store transfers the St. Louis-based discounter has executed in recent months as it remakes itself as a wholesaler. As previously reported, Save A Lot moved 51 corporate owned stores in Florida to independent licensee Fresh Encounter, and moved 17 stores in the Philadelphia region to Leevers Supermarkets, among other deals. In all, Save A Lot intends to shift more than 300 stores to local operators while retaining ownership and operations of its 21 owned stores in the St. Louis market.

The new owners have pledged to refresh and remodel stores, as Fresh Encounter recently unveiled in Florida.

Save A Lot said the Trosclair family would invest in hyperlocal offerings, including leveraging partnerships with farmers in the region to source seasonal fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products and more, all designed to create a community-focused environment and a sustainable, local supply chain. Troisclair owns two Ralph’s Market stores in Gonzales, La., and a Butcher Boy store in Plaquemine, La.

“We are pleased to have the Trosclair team join our Save A Lot network, bringing a seasoned level of experience and commitment to the community that will lead to continued growth within the market. Their experience in local community supermarkets, which has been built up over decades, makes them the perfect grocers for these locations,” said Kenneth McGrath, CEO of Save A Lot. “The team is well-positioned to be able to respond to the needs of the community and we are very aligned in our mission to provide offerings designed specifically for local customers. We’re looking forward to working together and continuing to serve customers across the region.”