Safeway update reflects changing lifestyles

The bright-pink doors just weren’t cutting it anymore.

The Safeway on East Sprague Avenue recently completed a $3.5 million remodel, and nearly every inch of the store, inside and out, has a fresh look.

“It’s a major, four-wall remodel,” said district manager Craig Johnson. “We’re building a store that fits with today’s lifestyles.”

And today’s lifestyle doesn’t include doors that were painted bright pink when the store opened in 1995, Johnson said. Now, Safeway has new flooring that looks like wood, as well as a revamped perimeter.

New produce racks hold organic produce and the meat section features a full-service counter. A Starbucks coffee shop is near the front of the store, and other additions including an olive bar and a section for pre-made dinners that need only to be warmed.

Most notable is the change in lighting. The long, bright fluorescent bulbs that crossed the entire store have been replaced by individual spotlights that focus on each island or section. Cooler fluorescent lights are now aligned with each aisle in the center of the store.

“There isn’t as much focus on overhead lighting,” Johnson said. “We use spotlights instead to frame the products.”

The store’s color palette changed as well, to warmer earth tones. Many display tables now are made of wood rather than metal or plastic. Check stands are also new, with three new express lanes.

The remodeling project took 10 weeks. Workers spent five or six nights each week redoing the floors, walls, lights and exterior.

The East Sprague project is the fifth store to undergo such a change in the Spokane area so far. Eventually all Safeway stores will be revamped, Johnson said.

Staffing numbers increased with the store change. Employees jumped from 80 to 120 with the addition of new departments and Starbucks.

Safeway will host a customer preview party Friday, with live music and different sales throughout the store. The next day, the store will have a ribbon cutting ceremony.