AppleTree Markets

This page primarily covers AppleTree’s operations in Houston from their 1988 management-led buyout onward. For information pre-1988, check out the Safeway page.

Safeway Leaves Texas

AppleTree was an attempt to spin off Safeway’s Houston division in 1988. The story of AppleTree Markets begins with a failure—specifically, the failure of the entire Texas Division of Safeway. Safeway entered the state through the North and West Texas markets in the 1920s and 30s by buying out existing chains in DFW and El Paso and rebranding them as Safeway. After World War II, Safeway began building its stores in large numbers to fill gaps in the areas it served and expand into new territory. Plans to expand the chain into Houston were initially announced in 1955 but were subsequently put on hold. By 1970, Safeway had opened its first Houston location and was operating almost everywhere in the state except San Antonio and South Texas. The stores were split across multiple divisions, with DFW, Houston, and El Paso being the flagship Texas operations. Any stores that didn’t fall into these divisions would be served by the division closest to them, such as having Austin in the Houston Division. Texas had been a relatively strong state for Safeway, a well-known company with multiple locations. The stores were also tailored to fit the communities, with some small towns choosing to expand their existing marina stores, whereas larger cities usually received brand-new 24-hour Superstore locations. At the time, everything appeared promising for Safeway’s future in Texas until the chain began to experience more significant issues.

By the 1980s, after years of international and domestic expansion, the profitable but cash-poor Safeway was at risk of a hostile takeover via a stock-market transaction. In July 1986, Safeway’s worst fears were realized when Dart Group announced its intent to perform a hostile takeover of the company. Much of Safeway’s recent expansion had been financed through loans, which put the company into debt. While the debt would eventually be repaid, Safeway could not prevent another company from acquiring a majority stake in its stock. If the Dart Group acquired Safeway, it would immediately liquidate the chain to recoup its investment, a common outcome for other companies acquired by the Dart Group. To prevent this from happening, a month later, in August 1986, Safeway accepted a buyout bid from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), an investment firm that intended to act as “white knights.” KKR would pay a premium for Safeway, expecting that Safeway would quickly repay KKR for its own buyout. This meant the chain would not be liquidated; however, it would still need to reduce its debt load immediately. As soon as the sale with KKR closed, it became apparent that the easiest way to shed debt was to sell unprofitable divisions.

Safeway had already established a practice of disposing of entire divisions that it considered underperforming. However, in this situation, the company wouldn’t just lose one division but nearly half of its presence nationwide. In February 1987, only months after the takeover scare, Safeway announced Oklahoma would be the first division to be closed if it could not find a buyer. In a story similar to AppleTree, approximately 100 locations, offices, and a distribution center were sold in a management-led buyout backed by a private equity firm. These stores were rebranded as “Homeland” and experienced similar financial issues, mainly attributable to debt transferred from Safeway to the new chain, and went bankrupt by 1994. However, in the long term, they would fare better emerging from bankruptcy and continuing operations. By March 1987,  Utah was on the chopping block. These stores would be sold to the Borman Family, owners of Farmer Jack, a grocery store chain in Detroit. The Utah stores were renamed Farmer Jack, and plans were drawn up to remodel the locations, as some stores dated back to the 40s and 50s. However, the wretched condition, age, poor locations, and high prices led the Borman family not only to sell and close their Utah stores immediately but also to sell their Detroit stores to recoup their losses. The subsequent division to receive the ax was DFW in April 1987; unlike in Oklahoma and Utah, no buyer was found for the entire division, so the stores were sold piecemeal to competitors, with some locations closing permanently. Beyond poor performance in these divisions, Safeway also sought areas with higher labor dispute activity, which the Dallas division was known for. At this point, rumors began circulating that the Houston division would be the next group of stores to be closed. Although store management denied it, secret preparations were underway for a new company.

Likely inspired by the success of Homeland in Oklahoma, the management of the Houston division decided to undertake a similar approach and create a new company from the old division. One of the first steps in preparing for the spin-off was a quiet transfer of 12 locations from the Dallas Division to Houston. These locations were all higher-performing stores and served smaller, mostly rural communities (although, ultimately, the two Northernmost stores were dropped). Similarly, in the preparations for Homeland, 8 Texas-based Safeways in the panhandle region were given to the Oklahoma Division as part of the deal. Upon returning to Houston, the next step was to reduce underperforming stores within the existing division. While this was helpful, a smaller store count would make things easier for the new chain, and the property sales also helped pay down some of Safeway’s debt. Most leases were transferred from Safeway to AppleTree; however, when it made more financial sense to do so, third parties were involved, some of which would have necessitated closing profitable locations. From May to August 1987, Safeway closed 42 stores across the Houston division, some of which later reopened under AppleTree. While nothing had been made public yet, AppleTree was slowly forming, with small clues such as the use of the “99 Stores” (the original goal for the location count) in a June 1987 ad, before it actually reached that number, along with assurances that the division would not be sold. Based on revelations that emerged nearly ten years later in Supermarket News, it appears that Safeway’s Corporate Officers may have exerted greater influence in the formation of AppleTree than previously thought, given that the same circumstances arose in three other divisions.

In September 1987, Safeway’s Houston Division had just completed renegotiations with Teamsters and announced that its wage concessions would help ensure the division “remain[ed] part of the national Safeway chain.” The statement was made by a representative of the division and was among the first indications that Safeway’s status in Houston may change. Looking back, this renegotiation was likely done not to keep the Houston Division “open” but to allow them to bank on Safeway’s credibility with the union one last time. In January 1988, advertisements began featuring Safeway’s “Budget Stores,” which had no service departments, minimal selection, and lower prices than a typical Safeway. This was not a national concept; instead, it was one of the first significant changes piloted by the then-unnamed AppleTree. In June of 1988, the cover was finally blown when Dean Gantt, President of the Houston Division, officially announced the buyout.

An AppleTree is Born!

A new company was born without a name, an image, or much else. Named Texas Supermarkets Inc., the plan was to operate 100 locations (shortly after reducing the number to 99) under the Safeway name. A year-long licensing agreement would permit Texas Supermarkets to use the Safeway name and maintain a supply contract, thereby allowing the company to continue selling Safeway house brands. However, unlike other divisions (namely, El Paso), Texas Supermarkets planned a name change from the very beginning. The company was also promoted as management-owned, which executives felt would convey a sense of commitment. However, the company was highly leveraged, with most ownership held by banks and investment firms, with management owning only around 2%. This division also had an inherited problem of being “too big for their britches,” having a distribution center and milk and bread plants set up for 300 locations. To address this, Texas Supermarkets planned to begin contracting work at its plants and to continue opening new locations. Throughout the remainder of 1988, the company closed some stores under the Safeway banner to help meet that 99-store goal and reopened some. Including 10902 Scarsdale, which had closed only months before, bringing the store count back to 100. Goodwill was also a goal, with Texas Supermarkets improving its customer service guarantees in October 1988 and starting its famous “Apples from AppleTree” computer donation program, albeit without the name, in January 1989.

In July 1989, the first public discussion of a new name took place. The original contract with Safeway was set to end that month, and the company had yet to land on a new identity. Names proposed included failed ideas such as Texway, Texas Food Co, and Gantt Stores, all rejected in favor of AppleTree. This new name was accompanied by a new logo and color scheme incorporating White, Green, Red, and Blue. The new look was meant to be wholesome and minimalistic. However, the new branding came with a hefty price tag from a national firm and was indicative of the problems the company was about to experience. The renovation was undertaken after it was needed and likely exceeded the original budget, and was undertaken primarily because of an existing relationship with Safeway. From July to October 1989, crews worked feverishly to convert the stores from Safeway locations into AppleTree Supermarkets. Mostly, the conversion involved only signage and a fresh coat of paint on the exterior. During this period, AppleTree had to pay to license the Safeway name and logo from its predecessors for any remaining stores, so renovations prioritized speed over quality. In late October 1989, following the completion of rebranding and without any prior notice, Michael Dean Gantt, CEO of AppleTree and President of the Houston Safeway Division for ~30 years, suddenly retired. This action was very sudden, and without any real explanation, the company was left scrambling for what to do next. Fred R. Lummis, a Senior Vice President of Duncan Cook & Co. and the company’s principal shareholder, assumed temporary leadership.

While the sudden retirement of M. Dean Gantt surprised AppleTree, it was far from a death blow to the company. The name change debacle, mixed with the sudden departure of the man who had orchestrated much of AppleTree’s core, was a pretty accurate depiction of what was to come for the chain. The company had massive debt, some inherited from Safeway and some from the buyout. However, AppleTree had a substantial cash flow, and the name change helped boost sales. While some banks behind the venture shied away, no one was ready to withdraw funding. By November 1989, AppleTree had found a new CEO, Arthur Patch, who had been hired away after working for Lucky Stores Inc. and had worked with Safeway for over 20 years. The hope was that picking up ex-Safeway talent would help right the ship. AppleTree also continued its charitable actions, including constructing a “Market Exhibit” at the Houston Children’s Museum in early 1990 to replace an older Safeway-branded exhibit. However, management again became unstable, and in March 1990, AppleTree made its first direct attempt to negotiate with the Houston grocery unions. While some people attribute AppleTree’s death directly to the union negotiations, this is not the case. The first negotiations proceeded relatively well, reflecting the same corporate Safeway mindset of cutbacks to improve the bottom line; the unions accepted that AppleTree was a much smaller company and found common ground. Less than a month later, in April, Stephen Cook, the President of Duncan Cook & Co, unexpectedly resigned. Cook’s company had been a major driving force behind the formation of AppleTree. The local investment firm provided initial capital and helped identify other lenders to purchase portions of the newly formed store. The company had initially owned approximately 30% of AppleTree, but by 1990, it had reduced its stake to approximately 20%. They remained the largest single shareholder in AppleTree and held some leverage over its operations.

On the surface, AppleTree maintained a happy, smiling face and did its best to keep the business moving. While all of their stores received a fresh coat of paint and new signage in 1989, no real remodels had taken place despite this being a stated priority from day one. By this point, the oldest stores in the Houston division were already 20 years old. Although many had expanded, Safeway was falling behind competitors in terms of appearance and service. In May 1990, AppleTree sought to dispel this outdated image by beginning renovations at one of its busiest locations. The store at 9325 Katy Freeway was to be enlarged by nearly 20,000 square feet, with designs taking inspiration from a Safeway-developed prototype named ‘Food Emporium.’ While 3 Food Emporiums were completed in DFW before their exit, only one location was built in Houston at 2300 Gessner. Despite the “new facade,” AppleTree began to experience greater internal stress. This led to several quiet store closures, with 4 locations, 3 in Austin, closing by 1990.

For the next few months, things were relatively stable for AppleTree. It finally seemed like they had a good balance of stores, and the remodel of the Memorial Villages stores was met with a warm reception. However, by June 1991, the company was beginning to struggle to repay its loan, which was now held primarily by the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. An interest payment of nearly $6 million was missed, prompting AppleTree to obtain a $10 million line of credit to prevent bankruptcy. This effort would be too little, too late, as AppleTree declared bankruptcy only a few months later, in January 1992. This was not entirely without warning, as in the prior weeks, some vendors for AppleTree stores had been asked to skip payments, and some had not been paid at all. Some stores were also beginning to run out of stock, prompting AppleTree to seek an immediate loan from the Japan Long-Term Credit Bank. The new loan would be granted for $25 Million while AppleTree’s debts had exploded to over $268 Million, with the original division purchase price in the range of $175 Million. The rest of the cash had to be generated by selling off stores.

Bankruptcy Proceedings

Even with layers of issues accumulating at AppleTree, changes were implemented to increase sales in the stores. A few new undertakings during bankruptcy included allowing Hot Dog Carts (which had been removed from outside Sam’s Club), adding parking-lot Garden Centers in specific locations, and in-store coupon printers. Amid these developments, AppleTree continued to close underperforming locations to improve cash flow quietly. Despite the company’s best efforts to address its financial difficulties, it quickly became apparent that it would be an uphill battle to emerge from such a massive bankruptcy. In March 1992, Arthur Patch, who had been the second and longest-serving CEO of AppleTree, resigned. The article on Patch’s resignation states that he chose to leave for personal reasons and emphasizes that he was not forced out (presumably by the banks). Although based on comments made once the banks were no longer involved, it seems that this was not entirely true and that Patch may have refused to undertake changes and, more specifically, budget and store cuts and layoffs requested by the banks. Following Patch’s “departure,” Fred Lummis of Stephen Duncan Cook & Co., who had previously served as interim CEO when Dean Gantt left, was again appointed. One of his first tasks was the announcement of the closure of five additional locations, bringing the total to 15 stores that had all been operated as AppleTree since 1990.

Less than a month later, in April 1992, AppleTree’s financial issues retook center stage as the company begged unions to accept cuts to benefits and wages. The cuts generally resulted in salary reductions, but thousands of employees also risked losing health insurance. While the company had promised not to make further cuts under bankruptcy, it seems this may have been an “Arthur Patch era” message and not something the banks agreed with. Later that month, AppleTree would take two significant steps to help stave off bankruptcy. First, they sought permission to sell eight stores: 4 in the Orange/Port Arthur area and 4 in Houston. These 4 Houston stores would mark the first major closures of locations in Houston since the AppleTree branding was completed. Second, AppleTree would also move out of the Safeway-built and owned Distribution Center and HQ. While the company had purchased the contents of the warehouses, e.g., milk-bottling equipment, bread-manufacturing lines, shelving, etc., it rented the spaces from Safeway for approximately $400,000/month.

Following two months of bankruptcy proceedings in May 1992, AppleTree reorganized and restructured its debt. The chain announced it would reduce its locations from 83 to 50 by primarily closing stores outside Houston. The Long-term Credit Bank of Japan, one of the company’s largest initial investors, announced its intention to exchange debt for equity in AppleTree. The company also sought to have its union contract declared null and void in bankruptcy court, thereby allowing it to implement wage changes without negotiation. By June 1992, the Union threatened to strike unless its demands were matched by AppleTree. While employees had already been subjected to cuts, AppleTree’s plan to address a strike was to terminate striking employees and replace them. By July 1992, AppleTree had reduced its locations to 59 and was approved to terminate union contracts and implement wage concessions. Union officials asked customers to boycott the store before starting a strike. Within a few days, Federal Mediators were sent in to help avoid a strike, as both sides agreed it would likely kill the company despite the assistance of professionals. Negotiations ground to a halt only a few days later. Issues the Union raised with the new contracts included wages, hours, days per week, insurance coverage, and non-reduced executive pay. After stalling progress, union leaders began a strike on July 16, 1992. AppleTree executives took a very Safeway-style corporate response, hiring replacement workers as needed and distributing manuals to managers explaining how to cut meat, address vandalism, and even disperse picketers.

During this time, AppleTree’s P.R. was mainly focused on repairing its image. One of these attempts was the Molly Campaign.

Despite extensive preparations for a strike, few workers ultimately ended up on the picket line. Sometimes union members were bused in from other states, and occasionally “volunteers” unrelated to AppleTree were paid to join the picket lines. The union still believed the strike was effective, citing a decline in AppleTree’s shopper count and slower sales. While things weren’t entirely at the end of the line, the stores likely felt like a sinking ship to the few remaining Safeway and Weingarten-era employees. In 1992, dramatic new entrants into the Houston grocery market included the short-lived Food Lion and H-E-B Pantry Foods, which purchased the former AppleTree Milk and Bread plants, along with the Distribution Center and HQ, from Safeway. Both chains, although non-union, were opening new stores and seeking to hire experienced employees at rates broadly comparable. This, along with insurance lapses, showed how uncertain AppleTree’s future appeared. In September 1992, AppleTree sought permission for the Japanese Long Term Credit Bank to become its majority owner. This would be the final step in exiting bankruptcy after reducing the number of locations to 50. The plan would be quickly approved by the other shareholders in the company, with the bank taking about 90% ownership.

Things Start to Get Spotty

Things were beginning to look up for AppleTree for the first time in years. While the strike was ongoing and Fred Lummis (of Duncan Cook & Co) was still CEO, a new $70 million reinvestment campaign was launched in October 1992. This was in addition to some innovative advertising that AppleTree had undertaken, including a hot-air balloon and the Molly campaign. However, there was a minor detail overshadowed by the excitement of emerging from bankruptcy. At the time, federal regulations prohibited an investment bank from owning a business for more than two years. From the day AppleTree emerged from bankruptcy, the bank set the wheels in motion to sell the grocery store chain. Lummis would remain in charge of AppleTree for the remainder of the year. By January 5, 1993, AppleTree had a new CEO. I’m unsure if Lummis was forced out, but once he left, the remaining office staff was either replaced or quit around this time. The new chairman, R. Howard Stanworth, was the former CEO of Pearle Vision and had been chosen by the Japanese Bank.

While Stanworth may have appeared strong on paper, most accounts I can find of his tenure at Pearle Vision point to massive layoffs, and his exit from the company may not have been his decision. To boot, he was English and had spent much of his career working in Great Britain. Despite this, one of the first things Stanworth did was “officially” end the strike in September 1993. Despite this small goal, things were really beginning to unravel for AppleTree. With the increase in value-driven grocers in the area, including the first appearance of Super Wal-Marts and Super KMarts around town, AppleTree doubled down on its original “neighborhood grocer” concept. While it appeared that AppleTree had completely dropped Molly and the customer-suggestion route, the reality was that the bank was attempting to market AppleTree for purchase by another chain. On November 16, 1993, in a somewhat surprising move, AppleTree announced that it planned to sell its remaining stores and cease operations.

In a secret transaction, Randall’s had already purchased 12 stores to establish a base of operations for its expansion into Austin and the surrounding I-35 corridor. By November 24, the company had secured buyers for 30 of its 37 locations. The largest buyer was Kroger, with 11 locations. Next was Fiesta with 4, followed by Rice, Randalls, and Gerland’s, all with 3. Foodarama, Big Chief, and Stanley would also all buy one store. Finally, in January 1994, HEB purchased a single AppleTree in Brenham, despite earlier predictions by the Chronicle that it would buy the remainder of the chain to expand its presence in the area. Although the purchases were made and announced quickly, most stores continued to operate as AppleTree for the remainder of the year. During this time, AppleTree closed its distribution center and again reduced its office staff.

By August 1994, R.T. Kubieck, who had been with the company since the Safeway days, purchased the six remaining AppleTree locations. According to him, he would operate the chain as an independent retaining office in Houston, with a possible name change and eventual expansion plans under consideration. In 1996, Gerland’s purchased the Richmond Avenue AppleTree, which was one of two remaining in the city. At this point, the Huntsville location had also closed, leaving the chain with the Stella Link store and three locations in Bryan/College Station. By 1997, Mr. Kubieck decided that AppleTree would exit the Houston market, just shy of 10 years after the buyout of the Houston Safeway division had been announced. Throughout the 2000s, in the B/CS area, AppleTree operated as a three-store chain until 2004, when the College Station store was closed. However, with one store closed, another opened. Tony Kubieck purchased a closed Albertsons location in Spring and began converting it into the first-ever “brand new” AppleTree. However, by the end of 2007, this location, too, would be closed, with AppleTree reduced to two locations in Bryan, both of which would be closed by 2009, placing a 20-year cap on a Hail Mary attempt to save the Houston division of Safeway.

Location List

Store #	Address	Notes
#188	206 N Catherine St, Terrell, TX 75160	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Marina store, Front facade renovated by Safeway
#202	302 N Dallas St, Ennis, TX 75119	Planned but never opened, moved to Houston Division, but canceled by April 13th 1987
#271	6825 Burnet Rd Austin, TX 78757	1989-1989 Closed as a Safeway (by AppleTree), Currently a Mazda Dealership
#529	109 W Corsicana St, Athens, TX 75751	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Renovated as Henderson County Judicial Complex
#530	701 S Jackson St, Jacksonville, TX 75766	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Was later a Save-a-Lot location, demoed 2018
#553	4811 Wesley St, Greenville, TX 75401	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Currently Super1Foods, Safeway sign still standing
#558	315 US-59, Atlanta, TX 75551	Planned but never opened, moved to Houston Division, but canceled by April 13th 1987
#541	301 S. Chestnut, Lufkin TX 75901	1989-1992 Currently Brookshire Bros
#542	1424 North St Nacogdoches, TX 75961	1989-1992 Subdivided Mostly CVS
#701	1919 E Riverside Dr Austin, TX 78741	1989-1989 Closed as a Safeway (by AppleTree), Currently a Bingo Parlor
#703	1500 W 35th St Austin, TX 78703	1989-1994 Currently Randalls
#708	8040 Mesa Dr Austin, TX 78731	1989-1994 Currently Randalls
#711	715 Exposition Blvd Austin, TX 78703	1989-1994 Recently Closed Randalls 2020
#712	5335 Airport Blvd Austin, TX 78751	1989-1994 Demoed 2011
#713	2327 S 57th St, Temple, TX 76504	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Currently Super1Foods, Currently a gym
#714	1725 S Texas Ave, College Station, TX 77840	1989-2004 Split between OfficeMax and Spec's
#715	902 N Austin Ave Georgetown, TX 78626	1989-1992 Subdivided
#716	804 W Braker Ln Austin, TX 78758	1989-1994 Northern Tool and Equipment
#719	2101 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704	1989-1994 Subdivided CVS and Office Depot
#721	6920 Menchaca Rd Austin, TX 78745	1989-1990 Sprouts
#723	2025 W Ben White Blvd Austin, TX 78745	1989-1994 Currently Randalls
#724	9411 N Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78753	1989-1994 Likely HEB
#726	3116 N Main St, Taylor, TX 76574	1989-1992 Exact Address listed as "Mallard Lane"
#728	1112 N Interstate Hwy 35 Round Rock, TX 78681	1989-1992 Now Mr. Gatti's
#729	601 E William Cannon Dr Austin, TX 78745	1989-1994 Now Melrose
#730	3229 Bee Cave Rd Austin, TX 78746	1989-1994 Currently Randalls
#731	2222 S Market St Brenham, TX 77833	1989-1994 Currently Vacant
#732	11150 Research Blvd Austin, TX 78759	1989-1992, Closed During Bankruptcy, Subdivided Party City and Petsmart
#733	200 W Hopkins St San Marcos, TX 78666	1989-1994 Sold to Randalls as part of the Austin stores, Closed as Randalls in 1998, Currently HEB
#735	6800 Berkman Dr, Austin, TX 78723	1989-1993 Currently El Rancho Was Randalls prior to 2011
#736	2001 E State Hwy 21 Bryan, TX 77803	1989-2009 One of the final stores, subdivided La Michocana
#745	13945 U.S. 183 Hwy, Austin, TX 78717	1989-1990 Currently Randalls
#750	7125 New Sanger Rd, Waco, TX 76712	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Waco Cardiology Associates
#751	2200 E Veterans Memorial Blvd, Killeen, TX 76543	1989-1994 Originally 2000 E Hwy 190, One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Currently a Thrift Store, Previously a Hastings
#754	1320 N 25th St, Waco, TX 76707	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Many different grocers since then, possibly HEB
#755	120 S Waco St, Hillsboro, TX 76645	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Currently Super1Foods, Brookshire's recent remodel revealed circle logo labelscar.
#777	19750 Interstate 45, Spring, TX 77373	2004-2007 Former Albertsons, only non-Safeway location, Opened by Tony Kubieck owner of B/CS locations
#903	7645 Dashwood Dr Houston, TX 77036	1989-1989 Closed as a Safeway (by AppleTree), Currently a Beauty Supply
#904	3745 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77027	1989-1994, Sold to Rice Epicurean, Sold to Fresh Market, Subdivided currently Walgreens
#911	5232 Aldine Mail Rte Rd Houston, TX 77039	1989-1989 First Budget Store, Closed as Safeway (by AppleTree)
#917	1805 Ella Blvd Houston, TX 77008	1989-1994 Sold to Cox's Foodarama, also contains former Eckerd Space, Foodarama is set to move out by 2022
#922	11006 Airline Dr Houston, TX 77037	1989-1992
#932	4614 NASA Road 1 Seabrook, TX 77586	1989-1994 Sold to Big Chief Supermarkets
#933	2020 Fountain View Dr Houston, TX 77057	1989-1994 Sold to Rice Epicurean, Still operating, Somewhat resembles Safeway's original layout without departments, central freezers, etc.
#934	9325 Katy Fwy Houston, TX 77024	1989-1994, Originally 9305, The only store to ever recieve a full remodel and expansion as AppleTree, Sold to Kroger who still operates this location
#938	4805 Galveston Rd Houston, TX 77017	1989-1992 Budget Store
#939	1116 E Mulberry St Angleton, TX 77515	1989-1992
#943	1100 W Dallas St Conroe, TX 77301	1989-1994
#946	2617 W Holcombe Blvd Houston, TX 77025	1989-1994 Sold to Rice Epicurean, Sold to Fresh Market, Sold to Total Wine, Still standing, remodeled but some original elements intact
#947	4230 Decker Dr Baytown, TX 77520	1989-1992
#948	115 E Boling Hwy Wharton, TX 77488	1989-1992
#949	165 Oyster Creek Dr Lake Jackson, TX 77566	1989-1994, Sold to Stanley Stores,
#951	3316 Avenue H Rosenberg, TX 77471	1989-1992
#952	12638 Bissonnet St Houston, TX 77099	1989-1992
#954	6742 Hillcroft St Houston, TX 77081	1989-1992
#956	8710 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77036	1989-1994 Sold to Fiesta, Still operating, many original Safeway elements still intact, including the sign
#957	9510 N Houston Rosslyn Rd Houston, TX 77088	1989-1992
#959	4100 Fairmont Pkwy, Pasadena, TX 77504	1989-1994, Sold to Super Warehouse Foods
#960	5 Uvalde Rd Houston, TX 77015	1989-1992, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, Converted to Food Town 2001
#962	4124 7th St Bay City, TX 77414	1989-1992
#964	13642 W Montgomery Houston, TX 77086	1989-1994, Sold to Kroger who quickly closed the store as they had a location catty corner
#969	13811 Cypress N Houston Rd, Cypress, TX 77429	1989-1994, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, now a Lewis Food Town, Still highly resembles a Safeway inside and out
#970	1700 Jefferson Dr Port Arthur, TX 77642	1989-1994, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, now a Lewis Food Town, Still highly resembles a Safeway inside and out
#972	8801 9th Ave Port Arthur, TX 77642	1989-1992
#973	5960 TX-105 Beaumont, TX 77708	1989-1992 Currently Market Basket
#980	2028 N Main St Pearland, TX 77581	1989-1994 Sold to Randall's, operated until 1999 buyout (of Randall's) by Safeway, Subdivided between Big Lots and Office Depot
#983	4705 Hwy 6 Houston, TX 77084	1989-1992
#985	14900 Northwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77040	1989-1994, Sold to Kroger operated until 2005, now K1 Speed Go-Karts
#988	2192 FM 2234, Missouri City, TX 77459	1989-1994
#989	7510 W Bellfort Blvd, Houston, TX 77096	1989-1994 Sold to Fiesta, Still operating as of 2021
#990	17503 Imperial Valley Dr Houston, TX 77060	1989-1992 Subdivided, First location in Houston to close
#993	1990 Old Spanish Trail Houston, TX 77054	1989-1994, Sold to Kroger, Operated until property was sold in 2017 and store was demolished
#998	2601 11th St, Huntsville, TX 77340	1989-1995
#1000	3210 FM 528 Rd Friendswood, TX 77546	1989-1992
#1003	7068 FM 1960 Humble, TX 77346	1989-1994
#1005	1509 W Church St Livingston, TX 7735	1989-1992
#1009	1109 Eldridge Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77478	1989-1994 Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, Currently a Church Now 1049 Eldridge
#1011	21155 Tomball Pkwy Houston, TX 77070	1989-1994 Sold to Randall's, operated until 1999 buyout (of Randall's) by Safeway, Was Stein Mart until 2020 Bankruptcy
#1012	9371 Richmond Ave Houston, TX 77063	1989-1996, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair amidst changes in the neighborhood
#1014	5377 W Richey Rd, Houston, TX 77066	1989-1992 Champions Forest Plaza
#1021	10902 Scarsdale Blvd Houston, TX 77089	1989-1994 Closed by Safeway (California) in June '87 Reopened by AppleTree in September '88, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, Currently Food Town
#1042	4501 I-35, Bellmead, TX 76705	1989-1992 One of the 10 Dallas Division stores, Currently Atwoods Ranch & Home
#1045	2300 Lohmans Crossing Rd, Lakeway, TX 78734	1989-1994 Possibly where Chair King is?
#1057	2300 N Gessner Rd Houston, TX 77063	1989-1994, Sold to Kroger still operating as of 2021
#1101	2535 9th Ave Port Arthur, TX 77642	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten, Demolished
#1102	1938 W Gray St Houston, TX 77019	1989-1994, Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Kroger, Still operating as of 2021
#1103	239 W 20th St Houston, TX 77008	1989-1994, Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Kroger, Still operating as of 2021
#1105	8620 Stella Link Rd Houston, TX 77025	1989-1998 Ex-Weingarten,
#1107	1352 W 43rd St Houston, TX 77018	1989-1994, Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Kroger, Still operating as of 2021
#1108	435 Uvalde Rd Houston, TX 77015	1989-1990 Ex-Weingarten, Budget Store
#1110	915 6th St N #6304, Texas City, TX 77590	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten,
#1111	1019 S College Ave Bryan, TX 77803	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten,
#1115	5130 Bellaire Blvd Bellaire, TX 77401	1989-1994 Ex-Weingarten, Randall's Until 2021
#1117	2409 Bay Area Blvd Houston, TX 77058	1989-1994 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Kroger who moved out in the mid 2000s, location now subdivided by Goodwill
#1119	3803 Dunlavy St Houston, TX 77006	1989-1994 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Fiesta, Demolished 2013 after HEB opened directly across the street
#1120	7061 Lawndale St, Houston, TX 77023	1989-1994 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Fiesta, Sold in 2007 and subdivided by 99 Cent Only Store and La Michoacana
#1123	1175 Edgebrook Dr, Houston, TX 77034	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Fiesta
#1125	11240 Fondren Rd Houston, TX 77071	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten, Fiesta
#1126	7601 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77063	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, Currently a Ross
#1130	939 Nederland Ave, Nederland, TX 77627	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten, Exygon Health & Fitness Club
#1139	6450 Phelan Blvd, Beaumont, TX 77706	1989-1992 Likely Ex-Weingarten, Exygon Health & Fitness Club
#1141	8066 S Gessner Dr Houston, TX 77036	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten,
#1142	1050 Federal Rd Houston, TX 77015	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten,, Seller Bros
#1143	9701 Spencer Hwy, La Porte, TX 77571	1989-1994 Ex-Weingarten, Sold to Gerland's Food Fair, Became Lewis Food Town closed as of 2019
#1145	15152 Bellaire Blvd Houston, TX 77083	1989-1992 Ex-Weingarten,
#1193	1760 Briarcrest Dr Bryan, TX 77802	1989-2009 One of the final stores, Aldi