STRICTLY BUSINESS; ALBERTSON'S GROCERY PLANS ON 'GO' HERE

Albertson's plans for a giant 61,000-square-foot food center are still on "GO" for Cape Girardeau.

Tom Kelsey, broker for Lorimont Place, Ltd., confirmed last week that the real estate transaction had been completed for a 7.4-acre tract near Independence and Kingshighway.

The property included the former Wolohan Lumber property -- 4.68 acres -- and the Pollack property, a vacant 2.7-acre site that housed a salvage operation.

The preliminary site plan for the retail re-development of the properties has already been presented to the city in behalf of Albertson's, which indicates it is ready to move forward on this multimillion-dollar retail project.

Albertson's also announced last week, that it would NOT locate in Sikeston.

Albertson's Grocery, which has more than 2,400 store in 38 states, with sales of more than $16 billion annually, indicated earlier that it was considering a 40,000-square- foot store in Sikeston, as part of a 65,000-square-foot retail project by Novus Development Group near Main and Malian streets, on property that housed the Missouri Department of Transportation, which moved to a new site near the Sikeston Industrial Park.

The new Albertson's at Cape Girardeau will provide an estimated 150 new jobs.

Kelsey told the Missourian that a number of agencies had been working with him on the Albertson's project, including Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce officials; Mitch Robinson, Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association director; Scott Meyer, district engineer with MODOT; and various departments of the City of Cape Girardeau.

Albertson's Grocery was founded 60 years ago, in 1939, when the late Joseph A. Albertson opened a small grocery store in Boise, Idaho. The store included some previously unheard of services for a grocery store popcorn, home-made ice cream, a bakery, and magazine racks.

This was the start of what is the second largest (to Kroger) retail food and drug chain in the United States.

The company, still headquartered in Boise has grown to more than 100,000 employees.

The Cape Albertson's Food Center will feature a full-line pharmacy and fresh bakery, as well as a free-standing convenience store operation that will be built on a portion of the property.

Kelsey said it is his understanding that the food and drug retailer has plans to open here sometime later this year.

Albertson's Grocery purchased a Southern California supermarket group in mid-1999, purchasing American Stores Co., owner of Acme, Jewel and Lucky Supermarkets and the Osco and Sav-on drugstores, giving Albertson's more than 2,470 stores in 37 states, with more than 218,000 employees.

The merged company expects to have revenues topping $36 million, which would put it ahead of No. 1 Kroger in total sales. Kroger remained the largest retail food company in the United States in 1999, measured by total annual sales.

The Kroger Co., founded in 1883 by Barney Kroger in Cincinnati, has 2,200 grocery stores. But this number swells with the addition of 796 convenience stores and 380 fine jewelry stores in the Kroger group. Kroger also acquired a couple of grocery chains last year to gain more than 100 additional stores.

Food stores provide more than 93 percent of Kroger's total company sales.

Going back home

Dave Blanchard is going back home, and Cape Girardeau's loss will be Fort Wayne's gain.

Eight years ago, Blanchard came to this area to assume responsibilities as plant manager for Spicer Axle Division of Dana Corp.'s facility at Cape Girardeau.

He left Sunday, to head for Fort Wayne, Ind., to join the Spicer Light Action group in Fort Wayne.

"We're going home," he said last weekend. "We left Fort Wayne 14 years ago."

Blanchard, a graduate of Indiana University, majoring in industrial management and marketing and distribution, spent eight of those 14 years in Cape Girardeau.

He started his career in Dana more than 30 years ago, at Syracuse, Ind.

"We like Cape Girardeau and hate to leave," said Blanchard. "We've made some good friends here. But we have children and grandchildren at Fort Wayne. "It will be good to get back there."

Blanchard and his wife, Marvena Kay, left shortly after attending church Sunday.

"I will be returning from time to time on official business," said Blanchard.

Larry Dillion will serve as interim plant manager until a new manager is named.

Blanchard has watched the Dana operation here grow over the years.

A relative newcomer to the Cape Girardeau manufacturing scene, Dana, which opened the doors to a $23 million facility on Southern Expressway early in 1990, with about 60 employees, now employs more than 350 workers.

B. Ray Owen is business editor for the Southeast Missourian.