Vacant Slidell grocery likely to remain closed for sometime

By Chad Ruiz
St. Tammany News
Published on Friday, December 26, 2008 8:40 AM CST

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Neighboring stores will have to put up with the vacant Sav-A-Center building on Military Road in Slidell for a while longer.

The property was bought by Rouses supermarket last year but has never been developed into an actual Rouses. In fact, it still dons the green Sav-A-Center insignia, and that’s likely to stay that way for some time, Scott Miller, Donald Rouse’s assistant, said.

“The property is part of the transaction but since we already have two stores in Slidell, at this time it’s not viable to open a third in that location,” Miller said.

An eyesore it may be, but residents in northeast Slidell will have to get used to seeing the vacant Sav-A-Center building on Military road for sometime as Rouses officials say they have no plans to put any money into for at least six months. (Staff Photo by Chad Ruiz)

In September of last year, Rouses Markets, an independent family-run company, doubled in size when it took over 18 Sav-A-Centers and A&P stores in the region. Rouses currently has six stores in St. Tammany, with two each in Covington, Mandeville and Slidell. Miller said when they made the acquisition a year ago, the market around the Sav-A-Center at 101 N. Military Road was not economical for business, so they chose to board the place up.

“We’re always looking at reopening that location, but at this time, it’s not in the plans for another six to 12 months,” Miller said. “We feel like we definitely want a store on that side of Slidell some time.”

Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie are currently the closest groceries in proximity to the vacant building.

“I can’t say that its (Sav-A-Center) closure has hurt our business, but it’s definitely an eyesore, and I would like to see it turned into something that would attract more people to the area,” Ivan Melinie with the Town Crier Newspaper, adjacent to the empty building, said.

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Comments

1 comment(s)

Dan McG wrote on Oct 14, 2011 12:56 PM:

" OK it is now Oct 2011 and someone is working in that store? Who is moving in now? Is it going to be a Rouse's? "

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