Associated Food Stores

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.

Associated Food Stores
TypeRetailers' cooperative
IndustryWholesale Distributor
Founded1940
Headquarters1850 West 2100 South
Salt Lake City, Utah[1]
United States
Key people
Bob Obray
CEO & President[2]
BrandsAssociated Fresh Market, Macey's, Dans, Dicks, Lins Utah
Revenue US$1.6 billion (2007)
Number of employees
1,400
Websiteafstores.com

Description

The headquarters for Associated Foods is located at 1850 W 2100 South in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.[1] The company's President and CEO is Bob Obray. He replaced Neal Berube after Neal retired in December of 2020.[2][3] It reported over US$1.6 billion (equivalent to $1.973 billion in 2019) 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 the 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 $5,475 in 2019) to help build an independent and "associated" warehouse.[2]

In 1999, Associated Food Stores purchased Utah grocery store chain Macey's. In August 2017, Macey's broke with 70-year tradition by deciding to open some of their stores on Sundays.[5]

In 2009, Associated Food Stores purchased 34 Albertsons stores in Utah from Supervalu Inc.[6] The stores were renamed Associated Fresh Market (more commonly known as just "Fresh Market"). As of June 2017, however, only 17 of the originally purchased locations were still under the Fresh Market banner, the rest having been either closed or sold.[7]

In 2017, two Fresh Market locations in Murray and Holladay were re-branded as Macey's.[8][9]

Corporate stores

As well as supplying independent grocers, Associated Food Stores also owns several corporate stores under five different names, operating a total of 38 locations.


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:

  • Broulim's
  • Clark's Market
  • Dan's
  • Dick's Market (2 locations)
  • Fresh Market
  • Harmons
  • Kent's Market
  • Lee's Marketplace
  • Lin's Market (7 locations)
  • Macey's
  • Peterson's
  • Raine's Market
  • Reams
  • Soelbergs Market
  • Ridley's Family Markets
  • Winegar's Market

Western Family
Main article: Western Family Foods

Associated Food Stores was a primary distributor of the popular store brand Western Family owned by Western Family Foods before being replaced by Food Club and other Topco brands. This also includes Better Buy, Shurfine, Shursavings, and Marketchoice brands.[14]

References
  1. "Associated Food Stores, Inc. Company Information". hoobers.com. Hoover's. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  2. "History in the Making". afstores.com. Associated Food Stores. Archived from the original on 2015-06-08. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
  3. 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.
  5. "Macey's breaks 70-year tradition with plans to open on Sundays". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 14 Dec 2017.
  6. "Associated Foods buying most of Albertsons supermarkets in Utah". sltrib.com. Salt Lake City: The Salt Lake Tribune. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  7. "Fresh Market locations". freshmarketstores.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  8. "Macey's Offers 'All-New' Shopping Experience With Murray Store". theshelbyreport.com. The Shelby Report. Retrieved 14 Dec 2017.
  9. "Macey's Expands Specialty Depts. In New Location". winsightgrocerybusiness.com. Winsight Grocery Business. Retrieved 14 Dec 2017.
  10. "Macey's locations". maceys.com. Associated Food Stores. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  11. "Lin's locations". linsgrocery.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  12. "Dan's locations". dansfoods.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  13. "Dick's Market locations". dicksmarket.com. Associated Food Stores. Retrieved 17 Jun 2017.
  14. "Exclusive Brands: Western Family". bringingvaluehome.net. Associated Foods Stores. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 7 Jun 2015.
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