Spartan Stores
Encyclopedia
Spartan Stores Inc. is an American food distributor and grocery store chain headquartered in Byron Township
, Michigan
. The company distributes national and Spartan brand products to over 400 independent grocery stores in Michigan
, Indiana
and Ohio
.
. Spartan changed to "for profit" in the 1970s and was first traded on the NASDAQ
in August 2000.
Family Fare and Glen's now use the same advertising package: "Closer. Faster. Friendlier. You're in the (store name) neighborhood."
In 2000, Spartan Stores merged with the Seaway Food Town
company whose operations included 47 Food Town Supermarkets and 26 The Pharm
deep-discount drugstores. After the merger, the Food Town stores operated under their own banners, but heavy competition in areas where Food Town and The Pharm operated meant lower margins, and these stores proved to be a drag on the merged company's resources. Between 2000 and 2003, the company closed or sold eight Food Town Supermarkets and five The Pharm drugstores. In 2003, with an unmanageable debt load, Spartan Stores announced that they were selling or closing all the 39 remaining Food Town stores and restructuring the company.
In December 2005, Spartan Stores announced plans to purchase D&W Food Centers
. The transaction officially became complete at the end of March 2006. Ten of the twenty stores purchased retained the D&W banner, six others were converted to the Family Fare banner, and the remaining four; Northtown, Norton Shores, Walker, and Zeeland were closed permanently.
In 2006, the company acquired through liquidation, five defunct Carter's Foods
the fates of which have not been determined. Felpausch
of Hastings, Michigan
was acquired in 2007. The company has since renovated one former store, in Williamston, Michigan
, to the D&W Fresh Market banner and several others to the Family Fare banner. The future banners of the remaining Felpausch stores remains unannounced.
In April 2008, Spartan announced that "certain assets" from 12 of the 14 remaining Pharm stores will be sold to Rite Aid
. The remaining two stores will be sold in separate transactions. At this point, it is unclear which stores will remain open or if the name will be changed. The sale was finalized in late May 2008.
In October 2008, it was announced that Spartan would be purchasing the VGs Grocery and Pharmacy stores in Michigan.
In late January of 2011, another Felpausch store, this time located in Grand Ledge, Michigan, was converted to a Family Fare store.
Byron Township, Michigan
Byron Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 17,553.- Communities :...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The company distributes national and Spartan brand products to over 400 independent grocery stores in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
History
The chain was founded in 1917 as the Grand Rapids Wholesale Grocery Company. The present name has been used since 1957. For most of its history, Spartan was a cooperativeRetailers' cooperative
A retailers' cooperative is a type of cooperative which employs economies of scale on behalf of its retailer members. Retailers' cooperatives use their purchasing power to acquire discounts from manufacturers and often share marketing expenses. It is common for locally owned grocery stores,...
. Spartan changed to "for profit" in the 1970s and was first traded on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in August 2000.
Expansion Into Retail
Spartan's retail operations started as independent grocery chains. However, in 1999, it bought the Family Fare, Great Day, Glen's, Ashcraft's, and Prevo's supermarket chains from their respective owners. To simplify advertising, the brands were consolidated into two: Family Fare in the south and Glen's in the north, each being the majority in its respective region.Family Fare and Glen's now use the same advertising package: "Closer. Faster. Friendlier. You're in the (store name) neighborhood."
In 2000, Spartan Stores merged with the Seaway Food Town
Seaway Foodtown
Seaway Food Town Supermarkets began in 1948. The company operated Food Town Supermarkets and The Pharm deep-discount drug stores in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan...
company whose operations included 47 Food Town Supermarkets and 26 The Pharm
The Pharm
The Pharm was a drugstore chain based in Maumee, Ohio, with locations in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Compared to competing drugstores, Pharm stores had a large selection of grocery items. Pharm stores had adopted a mascot named Discovery Dan...
deep-discount drugstores. After the merger, the Food Town stores operated under their own banners, but heavy competition in areas where Food Town and The Pharm operated meant lower margins, and these stores proved to be a drag on the merged company's resources. Between 2000 and 2003, the company closed or sold eight Food Town Supermarkets and five The Pharm drugstores. In 2003, with an unmanageable debt load, Spartan Stores announced that they were selling or closing all the 39 remaining Food Town stores and restructuring the company.
In December 2005, Spartan Stores announced plans to purchase D&W Food Centers
D&W Food Centers
-History:D&W Fresh Market was founded in 1943 by Roy Woodrick and Sid DeVries. The first store was opened in Grandville, Michigan as an Independent Grocery Association retail grocery store...
. The transaction officially became complete at the end of March 2006. Ten of the twenty stores purchased retained the D&W banner, six others were converted to the Family Fare banner, and the remaining four; Northtown, Norton Shores, Walker, and Zeeland were closed permanently.
In 2006, the company acquired through liquidation, five defunct Carter's Foods
Carter's Foods
Carter's Foods, more commonly known as Carter's, was an employee-owned supermarket chain based in Charlotte, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1952, Carter's grew to over 30 stores throughout Michigan's Lower Peninsula, including two in Charlotte. In 2006, the chain declared bankruptcy, with its...
the fates of which have not been determined. Felpausch
Felpausch
Felpausch is a grocery store chain based in Hastings, Michigan, United States. The first store opened in Hastings in 1933, and the chain has since expanded to nineteen stores; eighteen are located in the southwestern and south-central Lower Peninsula, while one is located in Kimball , just...
of Hastings, Michigan
Hastings, Michigan
Hastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Barry County as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and Rutland Charter Township on the west...
was acquired in 2007. The company has since renovated one former store, in Williamston, Michigan
Williamston, Michigan
Williamston is a city in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is at the southeast corner of Williamstown Township, but is politically independent. A portion of Williamston was annexed from adjacent Wheatfield Township. Downtown Williamston is located at the intersection of Grand...
, to the D&W Fresh Market banner and several others to the Family Fare banner. The future banners of the remaining Felpausch stores remains unannounced.
In April 2008, Spartan announced that "certain assets" from 12 of the 14 remaining Pharm stores will be sold to Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
. The remaining two stores will be sold in separate transactions. At this point, it is unclear which stores will remain open or if the name will be changed. The sale was finalized in late May 2008.
In October 2008, it was announced that Spartan would be purchasing the VGs Grocery and Pharmacy stores in Michigan.
In late January of 2011, another Felpausch store, this time located in Grand Ledge, Michigan, was converted to a Family Fare store.
Store Brands
- Family Fare Supermarkets: 29 stores (19 Pharmacies and 6 Quick Stops) in Michigan, company purchased in March 1999.
- Glen's Markets: 34 stores (13 Pharmacies and 3 Quick Stops) in Northern MichiganNorthern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
, company purchased in May 1999.
- D&W Fresh Market: 11 stores (10 Pharmacies and 2 Quick Stops) in Michigan, company purchase announced in December 2005 and completed in March 2006.
- Felpausch Food Centers: 16 stores (8 Pharmacies 2 Fuel Centers, and 2 XpressMarts) in Southwest Michigan, purchased in early 2007.
- VG's Grocery: 16 stores (14 Pharmacies) in Eastern Michigan, company purchased in December 2008. VG's was previously Spartan's largest independent distribution customer. Spartan sold the New Baltimore location, but it ultimately closed within a year.
Former Store Brands
- Food TownSeaway FoodtownSeaway Food Town Supermarkets began in 1948. The company operated Food Town Supermarkets and The Pharm deep-discount drug stores in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan...
: 45 Supermarkets in Ohio and Southeast Michigan acquired, along with 14 The Pharm drugstores from the Seaway Foodtown company of Maumee, OhioMaumee, OhioMaumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was also declared an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2006.-Geography:...
in August 2000. These stores were originally operated under their acquired name, but in 2003, Spartan Stores announced that they were selling or closing all the Foodtown stores and dropping the Foodtown name from their roster of brands. Seventeen of the stores were sold to the KrogerKrogerThe Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
Company; nine to independent operators and 13 were closed.
- The Pharm: Thirteen stores (pharmacies) in Ohio, and one store (pharmacy), in Southeast Michigan 26 The PharmThe PharmThe Pharm was a drugstore chain based in Maumee, Ohio, with locations in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Compared to competing drugstores, Pharm stores had a large selection of grocery items. Pharm stores had adopted a mascot named Discovery Dan...
stores were owned and operated by Seaway FoodtownSeaway FoodtownSeaway Food Town Supermarkets began in 1948. The company operated Food Town Supermarkets and The Pharm deep-discount drug stores in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan...
at the time of the Seaway Food Town/Spartan merger. Over the years, many stores closed and the last 14 were sold in 2008: 12 stores to Rite-Aid; and 2 stores to independent operators.