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CRANFORD’S EXPANDING IN LR

By Wes Clement/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 10:04 AM CST

Residents may see a familiar sight next time they visit Little Rock.

Customers shop at the Cranford’s Fresh World in White Hall on Thursday afternoon. Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald

Cranford’s Fresh World spokesman Terry Baldy said Tuesday the White Hall company plans to put up temporary Cranford’s signs today at two former Little Rock Harvest Foods locations.

Cranford’s took over the Harvest Foods stores located at 10901 Rodney Parham Road and 7509 Cantrell Road on Oct. 19, Baldy said.

“It’s been a very smooth transition so far. We have all the same employees and with a little better attitude and we are planning to start hiring more to prepare for increased volume,” said Brian Mason, Cranford’s store manager at the Cantrell Road location.

The location began relabeling 8,700 products Tuesday to display lower prices as part of a list of positive changes planned for the store in the coming weeks, he said.

“We’re going to restructure the store price-wise and fixture-wise then we will have a grand re-opening probably sometime in February,” Mason said.

He added the stores will remain open in the meantime.

Baldy estimated permanent signs and minor changes to the stores will be complete by January.

“We just take one step at a time. We’re not out looking to spread, but when the opportunity arises, like in this case, where it looks good for our company, we will consider it,” Baldy said. “We’re not on an aggressive mission to expand.”

He said the company’s management focuses more on customer satisfaction and service than expansion.

Established in the late 1980s, Cranford’s remains privately owned by founder Larry Cranford and his wife. Since that time, the company has grown from one store located at 8503 Dollarway Road to seven stores.

Other store locations are in Hot Springs Village, Redfield and Rison.

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