Just over a year ago, driving down Foothill Blvd in Rancho Cucamonga you saw two struggling grocery stores on the corner of the old mother road and Vineyard Ave - Haggen and Fresh and Easy. Luckily both locations got scooped back up pretty quick. The Albert-Haggen became an Albert-Haggen-sons when Albertsons bought back the store in Haggen's bankruptcy auction. Fresh and Easy vacated their spot shortly after Haggen opened, leaving many wondering what store could fill it's spot. Many thought it was going to be Aldi, with their bold expansion plan into Southern California. |
Since Fresh and Easy was locked into it's lease, it retained the spot until it's bankruptcy auction. Everything was sold off in piece meal, and CVS bought a dozen or so locations, including the one on Foothill and Vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga.
Unfortunately, any additional information on the store is not yet available (like it's grand opening), however a lot remains to be done. The basic bones of the store are installed and ready to go, however shelving still need to be installed and computers need to be operational before opening. Contrary to a floating rumor, CVS kept all of the (very expensive) UV resistant glass and skylights that were original store, although an exposed, unpainted beam now crosses the main display visible from Vineyard (I'm assuming to support the shelving) and it looks really cheap. The outside paint job is also very, well, crappy. The brown looks good, but doesn't match well with the gray accenting and red CVS logos. AC ducting was completely redone, and the freezer department was completely removed and not sealed off. That was along the northern wall where Households and Pharmacy will be. It seems the pharmacy area comes out further then the freezer department did and also comes a little further into the store's footprint at the Consultation area, leveling out for the Pickup Section (basically, the Drop off section is more recessed).
Under the health sign is where the bakery section used to be, frozen food section makes use of the original refrigerated dairy space, and Fresh and Easy's beverage section was more or less in the same area, while the cash registers for CVS are in the footprint of the original produce department. The bare concert slab has been covered in carpet, and the walls have been painted hospital white. The only remaining sign of Fresh and Easy was a sticker that someone had put on one of the handicap parking signs.
Sad to see Fresh and Easy go, but happy that there is no longer an empty building in Rancho.
Under the health sign is where the bakery section used to be, frozen food section makes use of the original refrigerated dairy space, and Fresh and Easy's beverage section was more or less in the same area, while the cash registers for CVS are in the footprint of the original produce department. The bare concert slab has been covered in carpet, and the walls have been painted hospital white. The only remaining sign of Fresh and Easy was a sticker that someone had put on one of the handicap parking signs.
Sad to see Fresh and Easy go, but happy that there is no longer an empty building in Rancho.