Shoprite to Open Tomorrow In Owerri

ShopRite Supermarkets is a retailers'
cooperative (co-op) chain of supermarkets in
the northeastern United States , with stores in
New Jersey , New York, Connecticut , Delaware ,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania . Based in Keasbey,
New Jersey , ShopRite consists of 50
individually owned-and-operated affiliates with
over 296 stores, all under its corporate and
distribution arm, Wakefern Food Corporation .
Wakefern itself owns and operates 33 of the
locations through subsidiary ShopRite
Supermarkets, and is the largest affiliate in the
cooperative.
As of 2011, ShopRite is the largest retailer of
food in Greater Philadelphia , pushing long-
dominant Acme Markets to second place. [1] As
of 2011, Wakefern was ranked 17th by sales
among all supermarket operators in the United
States. [2]
History
Early beginnings
1951–1974 ShopRite logo
ShopRite originated in 1946, when a Del Monte
Foods sales representative talked to
independent grocers in Newark , New Jersey .
The grocers were having problems getting
reasonable prices for wholesale goods. The Del
Monte representative suggested the grocers try
cooperative buying. Seven of the grocers
agreed; paying $1,000 each to launch
Wakefern Foods, which was incorporated on
December 5, 1946. In 1951, the name ShopRite
was created.
In 1958, ShopRite cut prices by 10% as an
alternative to giving away trading stamps ,
which other supermarkets in New Jersey were
doing. The move was successful, drawing
customers and helping create more Shoprite
stores. By 1961, Wakefern had 70 members,
totaling $100 million in annual sales.
The breakaway of Supermarkets General
One large member, Supermarkets General,
pulled out of Wakefern in the late 1960s,
halving the number of stores. The
Supermarkets General stores became Pathmark
in 1968. The remaining Wakefern members
redoubled their efforts, adopted "one member,
one vote" as a management principle, and
expanded aggressively. By the late 1970s, the
volume lost from Supermarkets General's
departure was restored.
For many years, ShopRite and Pathmark were
extremely competitive on price in the New York
Metro area, and each one had its loyal
customer base. A highly leveraged
management buy-out in the late 1980's left
Pathmark saddled with too much debt, and the
supermarket chain had no cash to fix up its
stores, or invest in lower prices. At the same
time, ShopRite stores were being replaced and
rebuilt, stealing market share away from
Pathmark.
The Pathmark chain was sold to A&P in 2007;
that company, which filed for bankruptcy for
the second time on July 19, 2015, would
liquidate all of its locations, including those of
Pathmark. In the liquidation, Wakefern, the
largest member of the cooperative, acquired
nine of the former Pathmark locations along
with four other A&P stores.
The "Can-Can Sale"
1974–2002 ShopRite logo,
still in use at some
supermarkets
In 1971, ShopRite introduced their Can-Can
Sale, where canned goods (as well as other
products) were placed on steep discounts, and
is usually held in January. Animated
commercials for this promotion feature a
chorus line of cancan dancers and a French
artiste . In 2002, ShopRite expanded that sale
to twice a year when they introduced the
Summer Can-Can Sale, usually held in July. [3]
The company, once known for its boisterous,
humorous in-store sales announcement, has
mostly settled into a more modest shopping
environment. [citation needed ]
Price Plus Club and beyond
In the early 1990s, ShopRite introduced the
Price Plus Club Card , which replaced the
Courtesy Card; it is free of charge to acquire.
Having a Price Plus Card enables shoppers to
receive special weekly discounts, listed in
circulars mailed with local newspapers. Most
sales are company-wide, valid for all area
ShopRites, however some stores choose to put
special items on sale based on stock. The
Price Plus Card also tracks purchases, which
aids in ShopRite's "No Hassle Return" policy.
In 1996, ShopRite launched its own line of deli
meats, cheeses and complements with its
premium private label, Black Bear of the Black
Forest, to compete against the expansion of
Boars Head in competitor's supermarkets.
Black Bear's Healthier Lifestyle Program is
recognized in the industry as being the only
private brand to exceed government standards
for a healthier lifestyle (low fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol and sodium). As well, all Black Bear
meats and cheeses are gluten free, MSG free,
and are part of the NSRI(National Salt
Reduction Initiative). Black Bear has become
the single most successful premium private
label in the deli industry. In 2011, over 15
million pounds of Black Bear slicing meats and
cheeses were sold at ShopRite.
Since 1999, ShopRite has offered an online
grocery shopping service on its website, under
the service name ShopRite from Home, through
MyWebGrocer.com , at some stores . For an
extra charge, a ShopRite employee fulfills a
customer's shopping order at a local ShopRite;
the customer then schedules either a home
delivery or an at-store pick-up.
Entering Maryland
In 2007, Klein's Supermarkets, a local chain of
family-owned supermarkets in Harford County,
Maryland, joined the Wakefern cooperative,
expanding the ShopRite banner into the
Baltimore metropolitan area. The 7 original
Klein's Supermarkets that are now ShopRite
supermarkets are located throughout
Northeastern and Central Maryland, and the
company has opened 2 additional Maryland
ShopRite stores. In addition, Wakefern member
Collins Family Markets has opened a Maryland
ShopRite store in Glen Burnie, and another
member, Village Supermarkets, acquired 2
former SuperFresh stores in Lutherville-
Timonium and Silver Spring, and converted
them to ShopRite Supermarkets.
Differences between ShopRite stores and
their fronts
ShopRite Location in West Caldwell,
NJ
As of 2012, ShopRite is the largest retailer-
owned cooperative in the U.S.
As a result of the cooperative system, there
has been no set format for building
architecture, store layout, or color scheme of
the storefronts. Most stores are the product of
the era in which they were opened, and the
owner's style. For example, the ShopRite of
West Caldwell, New Jersey has a Japanese
motif inside and outside of the store (including
rickshaws, an exit sign reading " Sayonara" and
two Japanese-style phone booths ). The
Ronetco family of stores (Netcong, Byram,
Newton, Franklin, Flanders, Mansfield, and
Succasunna, New Jersey) have different looks
on the outside (including the shopping carts
and cart corrals ), although the stores
themselves have a similar layout. ShopRite
stores that were previously other stores
usually contain elements of the previous
occupant. As large corporations buy up stores,
recent years have brought a homogenization in
building design and store layout.
More recently, ShopRite has renovated,
expanded, or rebuilt many of its older stores,
and added new ones. Most stores are larger
than before with improved facilities. Some
older ShopRite stores date to the 1950s and
1960s. Examples of newly built giant
ShopRites are in Wharton , New Jersey , opened
in 2001, Wallington [opened in 2015], as well
as in Parsippany, New Jersey. There is also a
rebuilt one in nearby Succasunna.
Into community service
One of ShopRite's previous slogans "This is
Your Neighborhood...This is Your ShopRite" is
used when promoting and supporting
community events, which is used on their
current manufactured trucks.
The ShopRite system today
Currently, ShopRite's base stretches northeast
from the Washington metropolitan area in
Maryland to the Hartford area in Connecticut .
While New Jersey is home to the most
ShopRite stores, the chain also has a strong
presence in the New York City suburbs, and in
Pennsylvania (mostly in the Philadelphia area).
In 2010, ShopRite expanded its presence in
Connecticut through the purchase of 11 former
Shaw's stores. [4]
In 2011-2013, ShopRite returned to the New
York Capital District after exiting the market 23
years ago. The SRS operating division opened
stores in Niskayuna , Albany, Slingerlands, and
Colonie. The Albany store opened on April 26,
2012, the Slingerlands store opened on
September 30, 2012, and the Colonie store
opened April 7, 2013. ShopRite currently has
gas stations at the Albany and Colonie
locations. Plans for additional future store
locations had not been announced in late
2010. [5] In 2013, ShopRite was the only
unionized supermarket in the area. [6]
On July 20, 2015, competitor A&P filed for
chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced plans to
close or sell off all of its stores. ShopRite
acquired 13 supermarkets in A&P's bankruptcy
auction.