CARSON, Calif. (October 6, 2006) - Bristol Farms here said it has opened its first store in San Francisco — which is also its first store outside Southern California, its first in Northern California and its first inside a mall — on the concourse level of the city's new Westfield San Francisco Centre. The eight-story center is located in between a new five-story Bloomingdale's and a well-established multi-story Nordstrom in the heart of the city — what Kevin Davis, chairman, president and chief executive officer, called "the focal point of the city's shopping district" — that is expected to attract 25 million visitors a year, or 65,000 per day, he said. The 30,000-square-foot store is the chain's 14th location in the state and, now that Bristol Farms is a wholly owned subsidiary of Supervalu, the store also marks Supervalu's entry into Northern California. The store features produce from around the world, including locally grown natural and organic selections, a fresh seafood bar, free-range poultry, 300 varieties of artisan cheeses, an olive bar, artisan breads, a full-service floral shop, prepared foods, including a rotisserie carving station, a made-to-order crepe station, a chocolate bar, a hot nut bar and a pasta station. The store's decor features murals from San Francisco in the 1940s and 1950s.

Elliot Zwiebach