Founded 1984 | ||
Parent organization The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company | ||
Futurestore was an American supermarket chain owned and operated by A&P. Futurestore was one of two concepts A&P launched during the 1980s (the other being Sav-A-Center; also defunct). Futurestore's first supermarket was in the New Orleans area in 1984, where A&P converted two Kroger stores it had acquired. The first conversion of an A&P to the Futurestore format was in New Jersey in 1985.
The Futurestore concept spread to A&Ps in the southeastern US, plus its traditional Mid-Atlantic region (operating in the Philadelphia area under the Super Fresh name), but, in the late 1980s, all Futurestores had been re-branded, or closed.
Distinguishing characteristics
Like its sibling supermarket, Sav-A-Center, A&P Futurestore was identified by its features and color scheme. The Futurestore interior was black and white, compared to the green and white of Sav-A-Center stores. Most Futurestores also had a glass atrium storefront. In addition, Futurestore signage featured pictograms, similar to those of European supermarkets.
Futurestores typically offered the latest in gourmet departments and electronic services in exclusive neighborhoods. Futurestore's amenities were more gourmet- and specialty-oriented than found at a traditional A&P or Sav-A-Center supermarket. Futurestores also had more modern fixtures and machinery than A&Ps had at the time.
Since the concept was never adopted for a widespread rollout, A&P phased out the Futurestore nameplate, closing some stores and converting others to A&P or Sav-A-Center. Many customers felt Futurestore did not have the same panache of other upscale food retailers, which not only offered more gourmet products, but also cooked and delivered it. A&P, however, did not immediately change the interior of the Futurestores, unlike its Sav-A-Centers, after A&P began to rebrand them as A&P Food Markets in the 1990s.