Holmen Skogen's to be a Festival Foods

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Feb 01, 2005 | by Cahalan, Steve

Skogen's IGA, next to the Holmen Square shopping center in Holmen, will be converted to a Festival Foods store by midsummer, owner Dave Skogen said Monday.

He also plans changes to the Skogen's IGA store in the Center 90 shopping center in Onalaska by mid-summer, and probably will change its name.

Skogen and his wife, Barb, live in Onalaska and own both Skogen's IGA stores. They also own seven Festival. Foods stores, including one that opened in 1990 in the Crossing Meadows shopping center in Onalaska.

"We like the concept, the format, and our customers have shown they like it," Skogen said of converting the Holmen store to Festival Foods. "The people of Holmen have been asking us, 'Why don't you make it more like Festival Foods?' "

The 30,000-square-foot Holmen store will be extensively remodeled, and a planned addition to the rear of the building will provide more warehouse space. The meat, deli, produce, bakery and wine and spirits departments will be expanded by making better use of existing space. Some new equipment will be installed.

"And we're talking to some folks about having a pharmacy" in the Holmen store, Skogen said. "That would be a leased department - we wouldn't be operating it."

Skogen said the overall Holmen project probably will cost about $1.2 million, including the additional warehouse space, remodeling and new equipment. It probably will result in a small number of new jobs at the store, which has 78 employees.

Skogen also hopes to add on to the Holmen store's north side within five years, to create additional retail space. But that depends on how well it does as a Festival Foods. I think the community can support a bigger store," Skogen said.

The Skogens have had a store in Holmen since 1978. The current store opened in 1989.

Skogen's IGA in Center 90 in Onalaska, which opened in 1975, was rumored to be closing this spring because its lease expires April 15.

But Skogen said he and the shopping center's owner have agreed on a new lease. "We agreed to a two-year lease, with two one-year options" after that, Skogen said.

Skogen leases about 30,000 square feet of space in Center 90. Of that, lie subleases about 5,000 square feet to Wettstein's Rent-a-Movie, which will remain.

The new lease at Center 90 "gives us the opportunity to develop some renewed focus" at that store, Skogen said. Changes will be made by midsummer.

"We want to make it more enjoyable to shop in, and more efficient" for customers, Skogen said of the Center 90 store. A focus group of employees is working on a new name. So far, Skogen said, "The name I like best is 'Skogen's in a Hurry.' "

Generally, Skogen said, customers use the Center 90 store because it is Convenient or because it is smaller by today's standards and they can more easily find items.

"We'll change the mix of products somewhat," Skogen said. 'And we're contemplating adding a service meat counter." Store shelves will be lowered so customers can more easily reach items.

The Center 90 store has 32 employees.