Ralphs supermarket opened a La Costa location in June in a spot formerly occupied by Gelson’s.
Ralphs’ parent company, Kroger, took ownership of the location at 7660 El Camino Real in March following Gelson’s closure at the end of February.
Gelson’s announced the location’s sale in December after years of trying to improve the store’s financial performance since opening in 2016, according to a Grocery Dive report. Its Del Mar store remains open, and employees either transferred there or were retained by the new La Costa Ralphs.
The La Costa store includes updated Ralphs branding, a shopping cart logo, that ties it more closely to Kroger. The logo is used across all of Kroger’s holdings and was launched in 2021, according to Supermarket News.
Encino-based Gelson’s acquired the La Costa location, and others in Del Mar and elsewhere in San Diego County, in late 2015 after Washington-based grocer Haggen filed for bankruptcy. The La Costa and Del Mar stores were prior Albertsons locations. The Del Mar store was a Big Bear supermarket before Albertsons and Haggen.
