Devised as a deep discount division of the New York City-based Allied Stores Corporation, Almart joins the list of the many discount mart chains that opened for business during the pivotal retail year of 1962. Pronounced as "Al" [as in "Pal"] "mart," the store's name was often mispronounced as "Allmart."
Before the official inauguration of the chain, Allied had converted two shuttered department stores into prototype discount marts. These experimental units occupied the former Guggenheimer's (in Lynchburg, Virginia) and previous Peck's (in Kansas City, Missouri). The Peck's unit was soon shuttered.
The first purpose-built Almart was located southwest of Wilmington, Delaware and dedicated on October 25, 1962. The second purpose-built unit was situated west of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and began business on November 8, 1962.
The next Almart units were built near Albany, New York (1964), Youngstown, Ohio (1966) and Wilmington, Delaware [a second store] (1966). Typically, Almarts encompassed between 120,000 and 156,000 square feet. Some units had an adjacent (20,000 square foot) supermarket.
ALMART / J.B HUNTER-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:
In 1968, a new division was created, which would be managed along with the five Almarts. The J.B. Hunter chain would consist of lower end, full-line department stores. These would include a beauty salon and restaurant and range in size between 124,000 and 154,000 square feet. The first J.B. Hunter units were built in Tennessee. Store number one opened, in the southern environs of Memphis, on May 6, 1968. A northern Memphis unit was dedicated on October 31st of the same year.
The tenth Allied discount store, a J.B. Hunter, was built in Norfolk, Virginia and opened for business in 1970. J.B. Hunter units were also dedicated during 1970 in Rochester, New York, Louisville, Kentucky [a second store], Memphis [a third store] and Miami, Florida.
A newly-built Almart was inaugurated in Albany, New York in 1970, as a replacement for the circa-1964 store. It would be the final new Almart. A second Miami J.B. Hunter location -and second in Rochester- were completed in 1971. The final store in the entire division was built in Lauderhill, Florida and held its grand opening in 1972.
At this time, the Almart-J.B. Hunter enterprise consisted of fourteen stores in seven Southern and Mid-Atlantic states. 1972 was the peak year of the bi-chain division. By 1975, the total number of Almart and J.B. Hunter stores had shrunk to ten.
Following years of unsuccessful competition with several up and coming discount chains, the ten remaining Almart and J.B. Hunter stores were sold to Montgomery Ward in February 1979. The last locations were shuttered in mid-1980, with some re-opening under the auspices of Ward's new Jefferson Ward chain.
ALMART / J.B HUNTER-ANCHORED SHOPPING MALLS:
*CONCORD MALL, New Castle County, DE (1969) [Almart]
*NORTHWAY MALL, Albany County, NY (1970) [Almart]
*MIDWAY MALL, Dade County, FL (1970) [J.B. Hunter]
*MILITARY CIRCLE CENTER, Norfolk, VA (1970) [J.B. Hunter]
*NORTHWAY MALL, Albany County, NY (1970) [Almart]
*MIDWAY MALL, Dade County, FL (1970) [J.B. Hunter]
*MILITARY CIRCLE CENTER, Norfolk, VA (1970) [J.B. Hunter]
