Hills Supermarkets was a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 based grocery store chain which was popular in the 1960s

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

. In May 1977 it was sold as a subdivision of Pueblo International Inc., to Food Fair.

Growth

In March 1955 Hills Supermarkets leased 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) in the Pine Oaks Shopping Center at Boundary Avenue in North Massapequa, New York

North Massapequa, New York

North Massapequa is a hamlet located on Long Island within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 17,886 at the 2010 census...

. The following month Hills signed a fifteen year lease for a store to be located at the Hub Shopping Center, approximately one mile north of Amityville, New York

Amityville, New York

Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.-History:...

.

In October 1961 Hills operated 23 stores with plans to open 7 more and expand an 8th within the next twelve months. Each planned store was to be 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) except for one. The exception was
a store in the Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...

 Shopping Center in Huntington, New York

Huntington, New York

The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...

, which measured 29,000 square feet.

By December 1972, the Hills chain had 75 locations.

Demise of store chain

In the two years prior to November 1976, Pueblo International, Inc., had closed 29 Hills stores as well as a distribution center in Brentwood, New York

Brentwood, New York

Brentwood is a hamlet of the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Brentwood is 53,917.The colony was established on March 21, 1851, on 750 acres of land on Long Island, New York, by Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews...

. The indebted 43 units of Hills Supermarkets sold for a sum of approximately $7 million in 1977, to Food Fair

Pantry Pride

Food Fair, also known by its successor name Pantry Pride, was a large supermarket chain in the United States. It was founded by Samuel N. Friedland, who opened the first store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the late 1920s. As of 1957, Food Fair had 275 stores, and at its peak, the chain had more...

. Food Fair filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 1978, and 42 Hills locations were closed shortly thereafter.