Once the dominant supermarket in the Philadelphia region, Malvern-based Acme is still managing to find ways to stay relevant in the changing economy, writes Steve Volk for Philadelphia magazine.

The supermarket chain has renovated and remodeled around 80 of its stores to create modern outlets out of old stock. In places like Havertown, the stores are modern and inviting.  Acme has also acquired dozens of existing outlets in recent years, bringing its total to 168 stores across six states.

According to Acme president Jim Perkins, last year, the Acme banner also showed a profit, which highlighted the vitality in the brand.

These victories are particularly welcome to older Philadelphians, who fondly remember the time when Acme dominated the market with more than 1,000 outlets. Philly shoppers didn’t even go to “the grocery store”; instead, they ran to “the Ak-a-me.”

Since then, the chain has slipped from first place to fourth and now only has a nine percent share of the region’s grocery market.

Acme now faces new challenges with a number of its outlets still in dire need of a makeover, while its competition continues to grow. Additionally, and perhaps most worryingly, its target market, the middle-class shopper, has been steadily declining.

Read more about Acme in Philadelphia magazine here.

[uam_ad id=”80503″]

.

[uam_ad id=”80502″]