Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
Encyclopedia
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy (also known as Shoppers Food Warehouse) is a chain of 65 supermarkets in the Baltimore
, northern Virginia
, and Washington, D.C.
areas. Shoppers has fresh produce, Swift Angus beef, Smithfield natural pork, all-natural chicken, Dietz & Watson
delis, fresh seafood, steamed shrimp, as well as hot foods, full service pharmacies and in store full service banks.
Shoppers is thought to have derived several now-common supermarket features, such as warehouse shelving (no longer utilized in new stores), open-bin bulk foods (also no longer found in the chain), large salad bars with hot prepared foods and specialized fans to keep produce fresh, and "warehouse-sized" packaged products. Shoppers also was one of the first chains to sell all of its produce by the pound, rather than by the item, which is now common. This prevented the "picked-over" selection of produce commonly found in conventional supermarkets several days after a produce delivery.
at 401 Eastern Ave opened shortly after. On October 1, 1958, the store at 2400 University Blvd, E., in the Adelphi Shopping Center opened in Adelphi, Maryland
, and, even after being gutted by a fire in 1994, remained a Shoppers Food Warehouse until its closure in spring 2011.
By January 1960, there were four Jumbo Food Store locations: 1551 Alabama Ave, S.E. at Stanton Rd (Shopping Center); 3439 Benning Rd N.E. (River Terrace); 401 Eastern Ave., Seat Pleasant, Md.; and 2400 University Blvd. E. (Adelphi Shopping Center).
By March 1967, five additional locations were in operation: 1919 Michigan Ave, (at Eastern); 6016 Old Silver Hill Rd. at Marlboro Pike, District Heights, Maryland
; 3041 Naylor Rd., S.E. near Sears and Suitland Pkwy.; 12145 Rockville Pike (Pike Shipping Center), Rockville, Maryland
; and 6300 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland
. By 1969, the Alabama Ave store closed and eight stores remained. By 1978, the River Terrace, Michigan Ave., District Heights, and Naylor Rd., S.E. stores were closed.
On August 23, 1978, the last new Jumbo Food Store opened at Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive (4223 John Marr Dr), Annandale, Virginia
. In 1978, Jumbo also opened the first Shoppers Food Warehouse (SFW). The SFW at 3255 Little River Turnpike in the Brighton Mall, Alexandria, Virginia
, opened in 1980. By 1983, there were three additional SFWs at 9195 Central Ave. (Hampton Mall), Capitol Heights, Maryland
; Rt 108 & Georgia Ave (Village Mart Shopping Center), Olney, Maryland
; and Little River Turnpike and Pickett Rd., Fairfax, Va. In 1985, when Jumbo / Shoppers became the third largest chain in the DC area, eight SFWs were in operation and four Jumbos (Rockville, Takoma Park, Adelphi, Md., and Annandale, Va). In 1986, there were 13 Jumbos / Shoppers locations with the Chantilly, Virginia
and Clinton, Maryland
SFW locations opening that August. Levin died before Shoppers was conceptualized. By 1989, when the infamous Herbert Haft
acquired half interest in the Jumbo Food Stores chain, 18 Shoppers Food Warehouse locations were in operation and the Jumbo Food Store name was gone.
The two remaining Herman brothers opened the first Shoppers Food Warehouse in 1978 as a foray into the warehouse supermarket business. The original concept brought the Washington area its first non-membership chain in the area to offer an expanded selection of large-packaged (or "warehouse-sized") products at a lower, bulk price. Shoppers eliminated all but two to three sizes of each product, to allow a greater selection of different brands on a typical shelf, and to further lower prices. Using warehouse shelving and leaving packaged goods in their boxes on the shelves. The reduction of retail labor also allowed a much lower price to be passed to the consumer. Since changing hands from the company founders, it has developed into a more conventional supermarket model with more conventional pricing.
With the success of the Shoppers format, all Jumbo stores were eventually converted to Shoppers. In 1988, Irving and his son and vice president, Mike Herman, made the decision to retire, leaving Kenneth and his children in control of the corporation. In 1989, Irving sold 49 of his 50 percent of the company, leaving Kenneth with a majority 51 percent controlling stake in the company. Herbert Haft
's Dart Group, whose holdings included Dart Drug
, Crown Books
, Trak Auto stores and Combined Properties Realty, purchased the minority share from Irving. Haft and the Herman brothers were long time acquaintances, having grown up and been schooled together in the same poor Jewish neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Kenneth remained at the company as President and CEO, his son Robert, then Executive Vice President, took over as Chief Operating Officer, son Mitchel retained his post as Senior Vice President in charge of Operations, and Kenneth's daughter and company spokesperson Sandra Perkins retained her position as Senior Vice President in charge of Marketing and Advertising. Another son, Laurence, did not work in the family business. Under the control of Kenneth, Shoppers grew to almost twice its size in the following ten years.
Dart acquired the remainder of the company in 1997 after exercising a complicated buy-sell agreement with the Herman family. Dart's intention was to force the Herman family into purchasing the shares of the company back after Dart experienced infighting amongst their board members and financial trouble with their retail chains. The final effect was the opposite; Dart was ultimately forced to purchase from the Hermans at an inflated price, starting a severe financial downward spiral and the ultimate sale and breakup of the Dart Corporation. In April 1998, Richfood Holdings Inc., a regional wholesale distributor, purchased Dart Group in order to acquire Shoppers, later selling or spinning off Dart's other operations. SuperValu acquired Richfood Holdings in 1999, also large in part to acquire the Shoppers brand, which was by then the third largest supermarket chain in the Washington, D.C. region in sales and volume.
Foundation and now The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area. Shoppers donates to over 2500 schools, churches and not-for-profit organizations throughout their trade area.
In 2000, the Shoppers Classic Charity Golf Tournament was established to raise funds along with its vendor partners for local causes, including the Maryland Food Bank and Capitol Area Food Bank, new community playgrounds and the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation for underprivileged children.
's work as a consultant to Shoppers Food & Pharmacy. On September 1, 2010, federal grand jury indicted Currie and Shoppers Food Warehouse Corporation executives William J. White and R. Kevin Small in connection with a scheme from 2002 to 2008 in which the supermarket chain allegedly paid Senator Currrie in exchange for using his official position and influence in matters benefitting White, Small, and the supermarket chain.
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
areas. Shoppers has fresh produce, Swift Angus beef, Smithfield natural pork, all-natural chicken, Dietz & Watson
Dietz & Watson
Dietz & Watson is an American manufacturer of delicatessen foods, based in Philadelphia.-History:Dietz & Watson was founded in 1939 by Gottlieb Dietz, a German sausage maker fleeing the economic collapse of his country in wake of World War I...
delis, fresh seafood, steamed shrimp, as well as hot foods, full service pharmacies and in store full service banks.
Shoppers is thought to have derived several now-common supermarket features, such as warehouse shelving (no longer utilized in new stores), open-bin bulk foods (also no longer found in the chain), large salad bars with hot prepared foods and specialized fans to keep produce fresh, and "warehouse-sized" packaged products. Shoppers also was one of the first chains to sell all of its produce by the pound, rather than by the item, which is now common. This prevented the "picked-over" selection of produce commonly found in conventional supermarkets several days after a produce delivery.
History
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy had its roots in a store opened in 1929 by founders Irving Herman and his younger brother, Kenneth Herman, at Vermont and V St, NW, Washington, D.C. The earliest Jumbo Food Store was in operation as early as May 1952 at 3439 Benning Rd N.E., Washington, D.C., and was the former River Terrace Super Market. The Herman brothers were joined by their brother-in-law, Sam Levin, and a location in Seat Pleasant, MarylandSeat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States immediately east of Washington D.C. The population was 4,885 at the 2000 census. Two state highways run through it — Maryland Route 704 and Maryland Route 214...
at 401 Eastern Ave opened shortly after. On October 1, 1958, the store at 2400 University Blvd, E., in the Adelphi Shopping Center opened in Adelphi, Maryland
Adelphi, Maryland
Adelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,998 at the 2000 census...
, and, even after being gutted by a fire in 1994, remained a Shoppers Food Warehouse until its closure in spring 2011.
By January 1960, there were four Jumbo Food Store locations: 1551 Alabama Ave, S.E. at Stanton Rd (Shopping Center); 3439 Benning Rd N.E. (River Terrace); 401 Eastern Ave., Seat Pleasant, Md.; and 2400 University Blvd. E. (Adelphi Shopping Center).
By March 1967, five additional locations were in operation: 1919 Michigan Ave, (at Eastern); 6016 Old Silver Hill Rd. at Marlboro Pike, District Heights, Maryland
District Heights, Maryland
District Heights is an incorporated city in. Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located near Maryland Route 4. The population was 5,837 at the 2010 census...
; 3041 Naylor Rd., S.E. near Sears and Suitland Pkwy.; 12145 Rockville Pike (Pike Shipping Center), Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
; and 6300 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park, Maryland
Takoma Park, Maryland
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City," is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone...
. By 1969, the Alabama Ave store closed and eight stores remained. By 1978, the River Terrace, Michigan Ave., District Heights, and Naylor Rd., S.E. stores were closed.
On August 23, 1978, the last new Jumbo Food Store opened at Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive (4223 John Marr Dr), Annandale, Virginia
Annandale, Virginia
Annandale is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 41,008 at the 2010 census, down from 54,994 in 2000 due to the splitting off of the western part of it to form Wakefield and Woodburn CDP's.-Geography:...
. In 1978, Jumbo also opened the first Shoppers Food Warehouse (SFW). The SFW at 3255 Little River Turnpike in the Brighton Mall, Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, opened in 1980. By 1983, there were three additional SFWs at 9195 Central Ave. (Hampton Mall), Capitol Heights, Maryland
Capitol Heights, Maryland
Capitol Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2000 census. Development around the Capitol Heights Metro station has medical facilities and eateries to support the community...
; Rt 108 & Georgia Ave (Village Mart Shopping Center), Olney, Maryland
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
; and Little River Turnpike and Pickett Rd., Fairfax, Va. In 1985, when Jumbo / Shoppers became the third largest chain in the DC area, eight SFWs were in operation and four Jumbos (Rockville, Takoma Park, Adelphi, Md., and Annandale, Va). In 1986, there were 13 Jumbos / Shoppers locations with the Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly is an unincorporated community located in western Fairfax County and southeastern Loudoun County of Northern Virginia. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place , the community population was 23,039 as of the 2010 census -- down from 41,041 in 2000, due to the...
and Clinton, Maryland
Clinton, Maryland
Clinton is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Clinton was formerly known as Surrattsville until after the time of the American Civil War. The population of Clinton was 26,064 at the 2000 census. However, as of 2007, there is an...
SFW locations opening that August. Levin died before Shoppers was conceptualized. By 1989, when the infamous Herbert Haft
Herbert Haft
Herbert H. Haft was a Washington, D.C. based businessman who was famous first for the development of discount stores in the drug store, bookstore, and auto part businesses, and later as a corporate raider...
acquired half interest in the Jumbo Food Stores chain, 18 Shoppers Food Warehouse locations were in operation and the Jumbo Food Store name was gone.
The two remaining Herman brothers opened the first Shoppers Food Warehouse in 1978 as a foray into the warehouse supermarket business. The original concept brought the Washington area its first non-membership chain in the area to offer an expanded selection of large-packaged (or "warehouse-sized") products at a lower, bulk price. Shoppers eliminated all but two to three sizes of each product, to allow a greater selection of different brands on a typical shelf, and to further lower prices. Using warehouse shelving and leaving packaged goods in their boxes on the shelves. The reduction of retail labor also allowed a much lower price to be passed to the consumer. Since changing hands from the company founders, it has developed into a more conventional supermarket model with more conventional pricing.
With the success of the Shoppers format, all Jumbo stores were eventually converted to Shoppers. In 1988, Irving and his son and vice president, Mike Herman, made the decision to retire, leaving Kenneth and his children in control of the corporation. In 1989, Irving sold 49 of his 50 percent of the company, leaving Kenneth with a majority 51 percent controlling stake in the company. Herbert Haft
Herbert Haft
Herbert H. Haft was a Washington, D.C. based businessman who was famous first for the development of discount stores in the drug store, bookstore, and auto part businesses, and later as a corporate raider...
's Dart Group, whose holdings included Dart Drug
Dart Drug
Dart Drug is a now-defunct chain of discount drug stores in the metropolitan Washington, DC region. It was founded in 1955, by Herbert Haft and his wife Gloria in Adams Morgan. The chain expanded to over 100 stores, and became a vehicle by which Herbert Haft engaged in greenmail activities against...
, Crown Books
Crown Books
Crown Books Corporation was a bookseller headquartered in Lake Arbor, an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, near Largo and Upper Marlboro. It was founded in the Washington, D.C., metro area by Robert Haft in 1977...
, Trak Auto stores and Combined Properties Realty, purchased the minority share from Irving. Haft and the Herman brothers were long time acquaintances, having grown up and been schooled together in the same poor Jewish neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Kenneth remained at the company as President and CEO, his son Robert, then Executive Vice President, took over as Chief Operating Officer, son Mitchel retained his post as Senior Vice President in charge of Operations, and Kenneth's daughter and company spokesperson Sandra Perkins retained her position as Senior Vice President in charge of Marketing and Advertising. Another son, Laurence, did not work in the family business. Under the control of Kenneth, Shoppers grew to almost twice its size in the following ten years.
Dart acquired the remainder of the company in 1997 after exercising a complicated buy-sell agreement with the Herman family. Dart's intention was to force the Herman family into purchasing the shares of the company back after Dart experienced infighting amongst their board members and financial trouble with their retail chains. The final effect was the opposite; Dart was ultimately forced to purchase from the Hermans at an inflated price, starting a severe financial downward spiral and the ultimate sale and breakup of the Dart Corporation. In April 1998, Richfood Holdings Inc., a regional wholesale distributor, purchased Dart Group in order to acquire Shoppers, later selling or spinning off Dart's other operations. SuperValu acquired Richfood Holdings in 1999, also large in part to acquire the Shoppers brand, which was by then the third largest supermarket chain in the Washington, D.C. region in sales and volume.
In the community
Through the Shoppers Foundation, Shoppers supports organizations like The Ed Block Courage AwardEd Block Courage Award
The Ed Block Courage Award is an annual award presented to selected players in the National Football League , who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. Named in memory of Ed Block, a well-liked humanitarian and trainer for the Baltimore Colts, the...
Foundation and now The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area. Shoppers donates to over 2500 schools, churches and not-for-profit organizations throughout their trade area.
In 2000, the Shoppers Classic Charity Golf Tournament was established to raise funds along with its vendor partners for local causes, including the Maryland Food Bank and Capitol Area Food Bank, new community playgrounds and the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation for underprivileged children.
Criminal Charges
On May 29, 2008, it was reported that the FBI had searched Currie's District Heights home and taken documents related to Maryland State Senate Representative Ulysses CurrieUlysses Currie
Ulysses Currie is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his 4th term in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 25 in Prince George's County. Currie is Chair of the powerful Budget and Taxation...
's work as a consultant to Shoppers Food & Pharmacy. On September 1, 2010, federal grand jury indicted Currie and Shoppers Food Warehouse Corporation executives William J. White and R. Kevin Small in connection with a scheme from 2002 to 2008 in which the supermarket chain allegedly paid Senator Currrie in exchange for using his official position and influence in matters benefitting White, Small, and the supermarket chain.