Associated Food Stores

Associated Food Stores
Retailers' cooperative
Industry Wholesale Distributor
Founded 1940
Headquarters 1850 West 2100 South
Salt Lake City, Utah[1]
United States
Key people
 Neal Berube
CEO & President[2]
Revenue Increase US$1.6 billion (2007)
Number of employees
 1,400
Website afstores.com

Associated Food Stores is an American retailers cooperative that supplies about 500 independently owned retail supermarkets throughout Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Description

The headquarters for Associated Foods is located at 1850 N 2100 West in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.[1] The company's President and CEO is Neal Berube.[2][3] It reported over US$1.6 billion (equivalent to $1.829 billion in 2015) in sales during fiscal year 2007 and is currently the fifty-sixth largest grocery retailer in the country by volume [4] with 23% of its total sales coming from its corporate stores.

History

Associated Food Stores was founded in 1940 by Donald P. Lloyd, president of the Utah Retail Grocers Association along with 34 Utah retailers. Concerned with effect that large corporate stores would have on small independent retailers, he felt the only way these small businesses could survive is if they united and faced the competition as one, therefore increasing their collective buying power. He convinced 34 stores to donate $300 (equivalent to $5,076 in 2015) to help build an independent and "associated" warehouse.[2]

In 2009, Associated Food Stores purchased 34 Albertsons stores in Utah from Supervalu Inc. The stores were renamed Associated Fresh Market (more commonly known as just "Fresh Market") and focus on fresh produce and meat. At the end of October 2010, 3 stores were closed due to poor performances.[5] Since then, five additional Fresh Market stores have closed, leaving them with a total of 26 as of early 2012.[6] Despite the challenges incurred with the take over of the Albertson's stores in Utah, as of late 2014, Associated Food Stores was still acquiring additional Albertson's and Safeway stores in Montana and Wyoming.[7]

Corporate Stores

As well as supplying independent grocers, Associated Food Stores also owns several corporate stores under five different names. Fresh Market, Macey's, Lin's, Dick's Market, and Dan's (all in Utah Except for one Lin's in Overton, Nevada) are all owned and operated by Associated Food Stores.[8][3][9] It was reported in 2007 that 23% of the company's total sales came from its corporate stores.

Other Stores

The Harmons store at the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Popular stores owned and/or supplied by Associated Food Stores:

  • Clark's Market
  • Dan's
  • Dick's Market (2 locations)
  • Fresh Market
  • Harmons
  • Kent's Market
  • Lee's Marketplace
  • Lin's Market (3 locations)
  • Macey's
  • Peterson's
  • Raine's Market
  • Reams
  • Ridley's Family Markets
  • Winegar's Market

Western Family

Main article: Western Family Foods

Associated Food Stores is a primary distributor of the popular store brand Western Family owned by Western Family Foods. This also includes Better Buy, Shurfine, Shursavings, and Marketchoice brands.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Associated Food Stores, Inc. Company Information". hoobers.com. Hoover's. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "History in the Making". afstores.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  3. 1 2 House, Dawn (24 Jan 2012). "New CEO takes helm of Utah-based grocery co-op". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City: MediaNews Group. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  4. ↑ "2007 Top 75 North American Food Retailers". supermarketnews.com. Retrieved 1 Mar 2008. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "3 Fresh Market stores to close". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. 20 Oct 2010. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  6. ↑ "Cottonwood Heights Fresh Market store to close". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. 10 Mar 2011. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  7. ↑ "Associated Foods buying Safeway, Albertsons stores in MT, WY". The Washington Times. Washington, District of Columbia: News World Media Development, LLC. The Associated Press. 22 Dec 2014. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  8. ↑ "Associated Retail Operations". afstores.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  9. ↑ Stewart, Heather (1 Sep 2010). "Associated Food Stores: Thousands of Miles Fresher". Utah Business. Salt Lake City: MediaOne of Utah. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  10. ↑ "Exclusive Brands: Western Family". bringingvaluehome.net. Associated Foods Stores. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.

External links

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