Purity Supreme
Encyclopedia
Purity Supreme, Inc. was a corporation involved in the operation of supermarket
s and other stores. From 1984 it was a division of Supermarkets General
Holdings Corporation. It operated from a headquarters located in North Billerica, Massachusetts
. At its height, the company operated 64 supermarkets in Massachusetts
, New Hampshire
, Maine
, and Connecticut
. They also operated 63 owned and franchised Li'l Peach convenience stores and 23 drugstores
in Massachusetts. They also ran the successful Heartland Foods warehouse style supermarket chain. In 1984 at the time of the buyout by Supermarkets General, Purity, had an annual sales of $800 million with 28 supermarkets, 13 warehouse stores and 23 drugstores. Purity Supreme and Li'l Peach had combined sales of about US$
1.3 billion in 1990 before the company was bought out again by Freeman Spogli & Co.
, an investment firm for about US$300 million, including the acquisition of debt.
In 1995, Purity Supreme was acquired by competitor Stop & Shop
, agreeing with regulators to sell 15 stores to address antitrust
concerns. Stop & Shop continued to operate 56 stores under the Purity Supreme name until 1997 when it renovated and converted all but three of them into Stop & Shop stores. The three remaining Purity Supreme stores were closed.
Purity Supreme was led for most of its existence by Leo Kahn
who started Purity Sav-Mor Markets with some of its first stores in Billerica, Chelmsford and Bedford. In 1969, Kahn bought out the Supreme Market chain of Boston and thus Purity Supreme was born. Some well known people worked for Purity Supreme over the years including early store managers Jack Murphy and Bruce "Barney" Bernard.
Kahn was very health conscious. Starting in his sixties, he became an avid jogger. Leo Kahn died on May 11, 2011, at the age of 94.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s and other stores. From 1984 it was a division of Supermarkets General
Pathmark
Pathmark is a supermarket chain headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey. It was founded in 1968 when its then parent, Supermarkets General Corporation, pulled out of the ShopRite retailers' cooperative...
Holdings Corporation. It operated from a headquarters located in North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica, Massachusetts
North Billerica is a unincorporated village of the town of Billerica, Massachusetts, United States, one of the nine sections that make up the Town of Billerica. It is the home to Faulkner and Talbot mills and the North Billerica Train Depot...
. At its height, the company operated 64 supermarkets in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. They also operated 63 owned and franchised Li'l Peach convenience stores and 23 drugstores
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
in Massachusetts. They also ran the successful Heartland Foods warehouse style supermarket chain. In 1984 at the time of the buyout by Supermarkets General, Purity, had an annual sales of $800 million with 28 supermarkets, 13 warehouse stores and 23 drugstores. Purity Supreme and Li'l Peach had combined sales of about US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.3 billion in 1990 before the company was bought out again by Freeman Spogli & Co.
Freeman Spogli & Co.
Freeman Spogli & Co. is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions involving growth companies in the retail, direct marketing, catalog and distribution sectors....
, an investment firm for about US$300 million, including the acquisition of debt.
In 1995, Purity Supreme was acquired by competitor Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is a chain of supermarkets located mostly in the northeastern United States. Its main rivals are Shaw's Star Market and Hannaford in New England, while ShopRite and the A&P family of supermarkets are its main competition in New York and New Jersey.- History :Stop...
, agreeing with regulators to sell 15 stores to address antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
concerns. Stop & Shop continued to operate 56 stores under the Purity Supreme name until 1997 when it renovated and converted all but three of them into Stop & Shop stores. The three remaining Purity Supreme stores were closed.
Purity Supreme was led for most of its existence by Leo Kahn
Leo Kahn (entrepreneur)
Leo Kahn was an American businessman and entrepreneur who is credited as the co-founder of Staples Inc.. Kahn is also considered a pioneer of the natural and health food supermarket industry, founding the Fresh Fields and Nature's Heartland chains, which are now part of Whole Foods Market.-Early...
who started Purity Sav-Mor Markets with some of its first stores in Billerica, Chelmsford and Bedford. In 1969, Kahn bought out the Supreme Market chain of Boston and thus Purity Supreme was born. Some well known people worked for Purity Supreme over the years including early store managers Jack Murphy and Bruce "Barney" Bernard.
Kahn was very health conscious. Starting in his sixties, he became an avid jogger. Leo Kahn died on May 11, 2011, at the age of 94.