Villa Market Suk Soi 11 Closed Today, Relocating

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

17 minutes ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

 

Actually, what you can buy in the supermarkets is one of the main draws for me to come to town from Isaan. Its better than a meal in a good restaurant in Bangkok to just have  a picnic in your hotel room on stuff you got at Villa. Villa is the best one, great deli items, probably the best selection of beer and wine in Thailand. Foodland is a distant second, they do have good sliced cheeses and when the bakery items aren't stale they are good, but their beer selection seems to get more and more depleted every time I venture in. Not that I go to supermarkets just to buy beer, but to see the selection shrink by 60% only to be replaced by bottles of Chang and Spy just makes you feel discouraged about the place in general.

 

Still there is no supermarket in Thailand you can go to and cover all of the bases, Villa is just an important part of the puzzle. Also, the supermarket on the top floor of Emporium has maybe the best produce, Villa is too expensive and not always that good for fruit and vegetables. Tops, while much better than TESCO, is just not very good mostly. Tops is the best we have in Roi Et and rabidly inconsistent, seems they phase products out simply because I buy them. Products as exotic and inessential as coffee or coffee filters which were altogether unavailable for 3-4 months in both Kalasin and Roi Et, had to order them from Bangkok ourselves as the supermarket managers don't take requests or never get around to taking care of them. 

 

 

I'd say that's a pretty good overview, and matches my experience. I'd LIKE to be able to get all the things I want and need to buy at ONE supermarket here. But unfortunately, I just can't get that to work. One place has some things, another place has other things, and other place still has other things. But none of them have them all, so I end up doing item-specific shopping at each of them. Never had to shop that way back in the U.S., but this isn't the U.S., of course. So it's much more time-consuming here.

 

Overall, IME, Villa Soi 11 was always a pretty poor choice for any kind of fresh veggies. They either didn't sell enough, or just kept them too long. And then they had sneaky habits like wrapping two tomatoes in saran wrap with an opaque plastic tray, and invariably, the face down portion of the tomatoes that you couldn't see when in the store would turn out to be bad / broken / moldy when you got them home and opened them.

 

They did have a nice beers selections in terms of imports, but in the past year or so, the Central Food Halls and some of the Tops supermarkets have been upping their game in terms of imported beers, and I think close to or equaling Villa, especially the Central Food Halls at Chidlom and CentralWorld.

 

Overall right now in BKK, I probably buy most of our household staples thru Tops Online home delivery, where they're pretty good about the basics and staples. But cheese and Mexican products from Villa, dry pinto beans, veggies, nonfat Greek yogurt and bakery products like croissants from Foodland. And some imported things like Tesco's Finest brand items from Tesco, imported orange chocolate bars, and UK-made hot chili con carne sauce bottles.

 

 

[LALes]

Yeah, I hated that Villa trick with the 2 tomato package.  You could never tell if they were ripe.

Gourmet Market at Em Q and Emporium has loose, large tomatoes.   Much better deal.

 

Tops is always best price for fruit.

[SooKee]

Yeah, I hated that Villa trick with the 2 tomato package.  You could never tell if they were ripe.
Gourmet Market at Em Q and Emporium has loose, large tomatoes.   Much better deal.
 
Tops is always best price for fruit.

Really does make it a chore traipsing round all these places at times. Kinda gotten used to it now and try to hit some of the places I need to go (hardest to find was a place that stocks a good supply of Indian spices) while doing other things in the area of them. It's still sometimes a trek.

One of the few things I miss about Chiang Mai is the fresh vegetables. Bag of 6 green bell peppers 40 baht from the Royal Project shop. That plus a 2 week life expectancy of veg kept in the fridge, lucky to get 2 days in the fridge from most of it here.

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[Thainess]

Vastly overpriced imported food for foreign idiots foolish enough to throw their money away on it. You're in Thailand, eat locally produced food for god's sake.

[HooHaa]

13 minutes ago, Thainess said:

Vastly overpriced imported food for foreign idiots foolish enough to throw their money away on it. You're in Thailand, eat locally produced food for god's sake.

Foolish enough to throw their money away, or well enough off to purchase things they appreciate and enjoy.

 

You eat local if you wish, ill eat what takes my fancy. Local or otherwise.

 

I truly dislike people like you whose existence is so mean they cannot imagine that tastes and incomes may differ.

 

Thankfully, people like that are so busy saving a penny, i enconter them rarely, if at all.

Edited April 16, 2018 by HooHaa

[thedemon]

29 minutes ago, Thainess said:

Vastly overpriced imported food for foreign idiots foolish enough to throw their money away on it. You're in Thailand, eat locally produced food for god's sake.

 

Every day? For years on end? Gets boring.

 

I would say that anyone who can eat whatever they want without regard to the cost is clearly not an idiot. 

[lomm]

Are you really want to tell me what to eat?

[Beechboy]

All imported food is likely to be overpriced.

 

The clue is in the word "imported."

 

You get what you pay for. You pay for what you want.

[balo]

So overpriced on fruits and veggies that it's ridiculous. But some imported food is the only reason for me to go there.

[jayboy]

I think the Villa business model is on the skids.There will continue to be a niche for the Soi 33 store but the reality is that in Bangkok at least they have some really efficient Thai competitors particularly Tops Market/Central Chidlom which have outpaced them.The latter seem to me to be world class retailers and it's difficult to think of many products that Villa stocks that aren't available.What is more it's a much more pleasant shopping experience.The Villa owner is game but he's getting on now.Really he should have done a deal a few years ago and exited.I'll continue to go to Villa occasionally out of habit but the days are long gone when expats would be drawn in by the prospect of Branston Pickle, English Cheddar and Cider etc.They're all available elsewhere.

 

Next step for the grocery retail sector in Thailand will be when on line shopping really takes off.That will finish the likes of Villa off but the Central people will rise to the challenge.

 

Maybe the Villa guy has a profitable business going with hotels, restaurants etc and upcountry orders.I don't know.But as regards Bangkok I'm certainly not surprised he's closing down some of his outlets

[HooHaa]

11 minutes ago, jayboy said:

I think the Villa business model is on the skids.There will continue to be a niche for the Soi 33 store but the reality is that in Bangkok at least they have some really efficient Thai competitors particularly Tops Market/Central Chidlom which have outpaced them.The latter seem to me to be world class retailers and it's difficult to think of many products that Villa stocks that aren't available.What is more it's a much more pleasant shopping experience.The Villa owner is game but he's getting on now.Really he should have done a deal a few years ago and exited.I'll continue to go to Villa occasionally out of habit but the days are long gone when expats would be drawn in by the prospect of Branston Pickle, English Cheddar and Cider etc.They're all available elsewhere.

 

Next step for the grocery retail sector in Thailand will be when on line shopping really takes off.That will finish the likes of Villa off but the Central people will rise to the challenge.

 

Maybe the Villa guy has a profitable business going with hotels, restaurants etc and upcountry orders.I don't know.But as regards Bangkok I'm certainly not surprised he's closing down some of his outlets

villa does have online shopping, though they were so convenient to me on soi 11, id make my buy go home and they would deliver within the hour.

[smutcakes]

2 minutes ago, jayboy said:

I think the Villa business model is on the skids.There will continue to be a niche for the Soi 33 store but the reality is that in Bangkok at least they have some really efficient Thai competitors particularly Tops Market/Central Chidlom which have outpaced them.The latter seem to me to be world class retailers and it's difficult to think of many products that Villa stocks that aren't available.What is more it's a much more pleasant shopping experience.The Villa owner is game but he's getting on now.Really he should have done a deal a few years ago and exited.I'll continue to go to Villa occasionally out of habit but the days are long gone when expats would be drawn in by the prospect of Branston Pickle, English Cheddar and Cider etc.They're all available elsewhere.

 

Next step for the grocery retail sector in Thailand will be when on line shopping really takes off.That will finish the likes of Villa off but the Central people will rise to the challenge.

 

Maybe the Villa guy has a profitable business going with hotels, restaurants etc and upcountry orders.I don't know.But as regards Bangkok I'm certainly not surprised he's closing down some of his outlets

 

I dont really see much difference between Tops and Villa Market, or what makes it such a more pleasurable experience. I live pretty equidistant between Tops at Market Place Thonglor and Villa at Avenue Thonglor. There seems little difference in numbers of users when i am in there, and the majority of users are of course Thai in both,

 

I am sure the majority of people around  this location would prefer to go to Villa or Tops in this location, rather than traipsing into Central Chidlom or the alike which at weekends are unbearable.

 

I think the reason ones like Soi 11 are closing and not being replaced, is probably far more down to being unable to identifying suitable alternatives (sizes) and suitable prices and whether they believe Soi 11 is strategically a good place for their store. Personally out of all the Villa Stores the one i find the most pokey and dirty is the soi 33 one.

[lomm]

The one reason for me to go to villa was that it's close to my condo. Now the closer now Top's and Foodland 

are the closer, I can walk their and back by taxi.

The best places are the Emporium and Chidlom and anyway I go a lot to them.

To Villa at soi 33 or soi 2 no chance that I'll go.

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

26 minutes ago, jayboy said:

I think the Villa business model is on the skids.There will continue to be a niche for the Soi 33 store but the reality is that in Bangkok at least they have some really efficient Thai competitors particularly Tops Market/Central Chidlom which have outpaced them.The latter seem to me to be world class retailers and it's difficult to think of many products that Villa stocks that aren't available.What is more it's a much more pleasant shopping experience.The Villa owner is game but he's getting on now.Really he should have done a deal a few years ago and exited.I'll continue to go to Villa occasionally out of habit but the days are long gone when expats would be drawn in by the prospect of Branston Pickle, English Cheddar and Cider etc.They're all available elsewhere.

 

Next step for the grocery retail sector in Thailand will be when on line shopping really takes off.That will finish the likes of Villa off but the Central people will rise to the challenge.

 

Maybe the Villa guy has a profitable business going with hotels, restaurants etc and upcountry orders.I don't know.But as regards Bangkok I'm certainly not surprised he's closing down some of his outlets

 

So far 2 stores have closed in Bangkok, Langsuan and Soi 11. Villa opened a shop in Udon Thani, so a few flagship shops in Bangkok and more shops in the provinces could be a viable strategy for Villa.

[Rod the Sod]

Tootled down to the new site as indicated on their poster on Soi 11 and it is a fenced off building site. Forget a new supermarket in the area for at least 2 years.

[Rod the Sod]

No one has mentioned the loss of a wonderfully flexible store for certain time constrained products - are the other VMs the same please?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, jayboy said:

I think the Villa business model is on the skids.There will continue to be a niche for the Soi 33 store but the reality is that in Bangkok at least they have some really efficient Thai competitors particularly Tops Market/Central Chidlom which have outpaced them.The latter seem to me to be world class retailers and it's difficult to think of many products that Villa stocks that aren't available.What is more it's a much more pleasant shopping experience.The Villa owner is game but he's getting on now.Really he should have done a deal a few years ago and exited.I'll continue to go to Villa occasionally out of habit but the days are long gone when expats would be drawn in by the prospect of Branston Pickle, English Cheddar and Cider etc.They're all available elsewhere.

 

Next step for the grocery retail sector in Thailand will be when on line shopping really takes off.That will finish the likes of Villa off but the Central people will rise to the challenge.

 

Maybe the Villa guy has a profitable business going with hotels, restaurants etc and upcountry orders.I don't know.But as regards Bangkok I'm certainly not surprised he's closing down some of his outlets

 

I think it's true that Central Food Halls over the past year have expanded their range of imported / expat products. They're particularly good because of the exclusive product line they have for Thailand with Waitrose brands from the U.K.

 

But I know it's also true that there are a LOT of common, popular imported food products, especially for the American palate, that are available at Villa and are not and have never been available from Central / Tops. I will agree, though, that Tops and Central are well ahead of Villa when it comes to online shopping/ home delivery, since Villa has only a small presence in that arena via the Honest Bee site.

 

And as for closing, the Soi 11 branch is being relocated, with a perhaps two month or more delay until the opening of a new branch on the same soi. It's not being permanently closed there.

 

[pkllusted]

See here photo of directions to the new to be store on soi 11. 

 

 

Moving sign

[ExpatOilWorker]

45 minutes ago, pkllusted said:

Moving sign

 

See here photo of directions to the new to be store on soi 11. 

WOW, that is the old Q-bar location.

[lomm]

24 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

WOW, that is the old Q-bar location.

 

25 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

WOW, that is the old Q-bar location.

 

[lomm]

Looks like the place. more important is that it's better location for me.

I hope they will open 24 hrs.

[MaxYakov]

On 4/13/2018 at 12:00 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

As noted above, the closest markets to the former Villa Soi 11 are both 24 hour operations:

--Foodland Suk Soi 5

--Tops Suk Soi 19

 

I don't like to correct, but for folks not really familiar, the Tops market is actually much closer to Sukhumvit Soi 17, beneath the McDonalds / Robinson complex (GM Street View).

Edited May 16, 2018 by MaxYakov

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Had an interesting conversation with a headquarters staff member from Villa Market yesterday, that produced some interesting info:

 

--Re the sudden, unannounced closing of their former Soi 11 store, the Villa person said they actually were never planning to close the old location, had been in lease renewal negotiations with their landlord, and then those very suddenly became a serious demand to vacate the premises immediately. That, the staff person said, was the reason for the hasty closure with no advance notice to their customers.

 

--Re the new planned location on Soi 11, it's going to be in the former Q Bar location much deeper into Soi 11, and is slated to open in mid-June, at least according to their schedule. The bad news is, the new location is going to be much smaller (by almost half) than the old location, because it was envisioned originally as an additional outlet, not a replacement for their larger original Soi 11 location. Obviously, the current and larger Suk Soi 2 and Soi 33 locations remain.

 

--Some other news, the staff person said Villa has a pretty ambitious plan for adding new stores in the coming year, including both in the Bangkok area and also locations upcountry. One location definitely on their agenda is a new/replacement store for the prior one that had existed on Langsuan Road, which the staff member said will come back in a new and much better location. The reason for the prior Langsuan location closure wasn't lack of customers, but instead, once again, landlord problems.

 

--Lastly, Villa has just recently launched their own online ordering and home delivery platform based out of their Sukhumvit Soi 33 store, and serving locations within a 7 km radius surrounding it. The same system also allows online ordering and pickup from the Soi 33 location, if desired. The staff person said the company has plans to expand that online ordering and home delivery service to a wider area and other stores over time, but for right now, it's limited just to the BKK Suk Soi 33 location. They have a fixed 90 baht delivery fee, and accept online payment by bank card.

 

The web address for their online ordering/home delivery site is:

 

https://shoponline.villamarket.com/customer/account/login/

 

I signed up yesterday and placed my first online order last night, and it arrived on time and correctly fulfillled today. The online ordering system seems to work pretty well, allows for saving of Favorite items, and the online catalog appears to have pretty good (but not 100%) coverage for their in-store stock. I got a call this morning from an English speaking staff member confirming my order and advising that one item was out of stock, and offering a similar replacement item that I accepted. So, so far, so good. The frozen things arrived frozen, refrigerated things cold, everything properly done.

 

Just as a footnote on that: the Villa staff person I spoke with confirmed that Villa's existing and prior online ordering and home delivery platform with Honest Bee in Bangkok is continuing. So Villa's own online ordering platform is not replacing their Honest Bee relationship, at least for now. But for me, in the past, the Villa store that somehow got assigned for fulfilling any Honest Bee order I placed was an outlying store in a Thai area, not any of the more farang oriented ones closer to my home, and thus their stock selection available via HB online ordering was very limited and poor. So for me, Villa's own Soi 33 service is a much better option.

 

But for people who live outside the current delivery radius for Villa's own online ordering system based out of Suk Soi 33, any existing options available thru Honest Bee would remain in place.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[MrJohnson]

The new Villa on Soi 11 (old Q Bar) site is going ahead in leaps and bounds. It is basically a big tin shed, prefabricated and the contractors seem to be working day and night.

 

I've also used their online shopping option recently and it worked a treat. I seem to using Tesco Lotus online for loads of groceries and then Villa for certain items not available through Tesco (wines, pate, cold cuts, cheeses etc) and the local wet market for fruit and veg. I don't find either Tesco or Villa great for fruit and veg, Central Foodhall at Chidlom is great but grossly overpriced. Back to the wet market it is.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

17 hours ago, MrJohnson said:

The new Villa on Soi 11 (old Q Bar) site is going ahead in leaps and bounds. It is basically a big tin shed, prefabricated and the contractors seem to be working day and night.

 

 

Your description of the coming Soi 11 replacement branch is interesting. It almost sounds like it's not intended to be a permanent facility/location. And it's a pretty long walk or hike from main Suk Road and the Nana BTS station all the way up Soi 11 to the Q bar location.

 

As I mentioned above, in my chat with the Villa HQ rep the other day, that person indicated the Q Bar location was never intended to replace the top of the now closed Soi 11 location. During our chat, I asked then if they were still looking for a regular replacement location for the former larger Soi 11 location in that general area, and the staff person didn't rule that out, and said they're always keeping an eye on real estate opportunities.

 

For me, as things stand right now, I doubt I'll ever go to the new, more remote and smaller Soi 11 location, which is about twice as far from my home as the old location was. Instead, I expect I'll rely on the larger Suk Soi 2 store and Villa's own new home delivery service, which seems promising.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SurinBeach]

Any update on how Villa is coming along in Soi 13 then ?

I'll be in BKK in one month so hoping ....

But then again !

[snoopybkk]

For those wondering: 

 

Villa Market looks to be opening on 29th June at their new location on soi 11, across from Le Fenix Hotel, Firehouse restaurant, etc. 

 

At least that's what the banner said...   

[The manic]

On 4/13/2018 at 1:10 PM, possum1931 said:

Villa would be better shutting down all their stores as some of their prices are outrageous. one item about 50% dearer than Foodland. Though I do admit to using the one at Soi 33 occasionally as they have a good variety of food there, but they really ought to do something about some of their prices.

Bangkok is not evolving.  its suffering from entropy

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On a related front, Tops Online recently has redone their online ordering website, and from my initial impression, the current result is worse than what existing before.

 

Not only do they require a new, redone logging in registration process, without any advance warning or explanation of what will be required, but once I managed to fight my way thru that, once I got into their new system, they appear to have erased/wiped out what had been an extensive Favorites list I had in their former site with all the things we routinely order from them.

 

And when I tried to begin recreating that Favorites list again from scratch on their new Tops site, it let me add new items to a blank favorites list, but then as I went along, the site seemed to start dropping and erasing items I had just added when I tried to start adding more. If it stays the way it is now, I'll probably shift the bulk of my online ordering from Tops to Villa's new online platform based at their Soi 33 store.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Was out and around today, and noticed this interesting banner from Villa at the mouth to Suk Soi 7...

 

Anyone know more about the details of these and how they work -- Soi 11 shuttle and free local delivery?: