Balducci's

Last updated

Balducci's
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Retail
Founded1916 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
1946 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
FounderLouis Balducci, Maria Balducci [1]
Headquarters Germantown, Maryland
Area served
ProductsSpecialty Gourmet
Owner Albertsons
Website www.balduccis.com

Balducci's Food Lover's Market is a specialty gourmet food retailer in the Mid-Atlantic United States with eight grocery stores, owned by Albertsons since 2020. [2]

Contents

History

The Balducci family patriarch, Louis, an immigrant from Corato, Italy, began his family's career in the New York City food trade by selling fruits and vegetables from a pushcart in Greenpoint, Brooklyn between 1914 and 1925. The family returned to Italy in 1925, returned to the United States in 1939 and in 1946 Louis and his wife Maria opened a fruit stand at the corner of Christopher Street and Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Village. In 1972, they moved across Sixth Avenue into a storefront at Sixth and West 9th St. [3] [1]

From that site on Sixth Avenue, Balducci's is considered to have been the first grocer in New York City to sell premium quality foods with a butcher, fishmonger, delicatessen and greengrocer all in the same store. [4] It became a model for specialty markets all over the city. [4] [5]

When the store moved to Sixth Avenue it was owned by two of Louis and Maria's children, Andy (and his wife Nina [6] ) and Grace (and her husband, Joe Doria). (A third child, Charles, [7] was a physician; his son, Louis B., was active in managing the store.) News accounts describe disputes between the three siblings and their father Louis. In 1985 Grace and Joe left the company to start Grace's Marketplace on the Upper East Side. [8] Louis B. left in the late 1980s and became partner at Agata & Valentina, another specialty grocer on Upper East Side. [4]

With their daughters uninterested in taking over the store, Andy and Nina sold in 1999 for $26.5 million to Sutton Place Gourmet, a Maryland-based company. [3] Sales for the combined company were more than $130 million per year. [9]

The flagship store in on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village closed in January 2003 but a branch store, on West 66th Street, remained open. [10]

In November 2003, the company was purchased by an investment group led by Bear Stearns Merchant Banking. [11]

(Separate from the history of the store, but part of the family's history in food, Andy and Nina's daughter Ria's husband Kevin Murphy left Balducci's and started Baldor Specialty Foods, an East-Coast produce distributor. [12] The name Baldor is said to be a combination of the names Balducci and Doria. [3] )

Balducci's after 2005

Previous Balducci's logo Balducci's Logo.jpg
Previous Balducci's logo

The new flagship store in the New York Savings Bank Building (at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street) in Manhattan opened in December 2005. [13] Following its opening, Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union began protesting outside the store against the non-unionized status of employees. [14] In April 2009 the company closed its two New York City locations, the new flagship at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street and the West 66th Street store. [5] [15]

There are currently eight full-service retail stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and New York (Scarsdale). In 2012, Balducci's returned to New York with Balducci's Gourmet on the Go Café in Hearst Tower, which serves prepared meals and soups as well as a gourmet salad and coffee bar. [16] There are four Balducci's Express locations: three in JFK Airport in New York and one at the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets in Virginia. [2] There also was a Balducci's Gourmet on the Go Café located in the Bloomberg Children's Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital [17] , but it closed in 2024.

In April 2009 Balducci's was sold to Kings Food Markets, a portfolio company of Angelo, Gordon and Co. [18] In 2016, Kings and Balducci's were sold to GSSG Capital. [19] In 2020, Balducci's filed for bankruptcy, and was sold to Albertsons. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saks Fifth Avenue</span> Multinational department store chain founded in the United States

Saks Fifth Avenue is an American luxury brand associated with Saks, a luxury ecommerce platform, and SFA stores, a chain of high-end department stores in North America. Founded by Andrew Saks, it is headquartered in New York City. The original Saks opened in the F Street shopping district of Washington, D.C. in 1867. Saks expanded into Manhattan with its Herald Square store in 1902 and flagship store on Fifth Avenue in 1924. The chain was acquired by Tennessee-based Proffitt's, Inc. in 1998, and Saks, Inc. was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 2013.

Albertsons Companies, Inc. is an American grocery company founded and headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Supermarkets</span> American supermarket chain owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc

United Supermarkets, d.b.a. The United Family is an American supermarket chain. With headquarters in Lubbock, Texas, its roots go back to 1916, when H.D. Snell opened his first United Cash Store in Sayre, Oklahoma. The chain has grown to include 95 stores in 30 Texas cities and over 10,000 workers. In 2014 it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Albertsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safeway</span> American supermarket chain owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc

Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops and fuel centers. It is a subsidiary of Albertsons after being acquired by private equity investors led by Cerberus Capital Management in January 2015. Safeway's primary base of operations is in the Western United States, with some stores located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern Seaboard. The subsidiary is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harris Teeter</span> American supermarket chain

Harris Teeter Supermarkets, LLC., also known as Harris Teeter Neighborhood Food & Pharmacy, is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. As of June 2024, the chain operates 261 stores in seven South Atlantic states and Washington, D.C. Supermarket News ranked Harris Teeter No. 34 in the 2012 "Top 75 Retailers & Wholesalers" based on 2011 fiscal year sales of $4.3 billion.

SuperValu, Inc., was an American wholesaler and retailer of grocery products. The company, formerly headquartered in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, had been in business since 1926. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Natural Foods (UNFI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barneys New York</span> Defunct American department store

Barneys New York is an American department store chain founded in 1923 by Barney Pressman. The company operated full-line department stores in the United States from 1923 until 2020. Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys' intellectual property in 2019, and has licensed the brand to Saks Fifth Avenue for specialty departments within its flagship stores since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Food Emporium</span> American grocery store chain

The Food Emporium is a chain of grocery stores in New York and New Jersey. The supermarket banner was created by Shopwell Inc., whose roots can be traced to Daitch Crystal Dairies. Shopwell Inc. was acquired by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) in 1986 and at the time, the company operated the upscale, gourmet banner stores in and around New York City; Westchester County, NY; and Fairfield County, CT. The Food Emporium grew throughout the 1990s, converting many of its New York-area A&P stores to The Food Emporium and expanding the chain to New Jersey. The 2000s brought new, stronger competition to the New York area, and the chain shrank, receding mostly to Manhattan. At the time of A&P's liquidation in 2015, The Food Emporium had 11 stores. The banner was acquired from bankrupt A&P in late 2015 by Key Food Stores Co-op, Inc., which currently operates thirteen of The Food Emporium stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Thumb (grocery store)</span> American supermarket chain in Texas owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc

Tom Thumb is a chain of supermarkets in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It operates under the name Tom Thumb for traditional grocery stores and Flagship Tom Thumb for higher end stores in affluent areas. It makes up part of the Southern division of Albertsons. When combined with sister chains Albertsons and Market Street, it is the number two supermarket group in the competitive Dallas/Fort Worth area behind Walmart. The chain's distribution center is in Roanoke, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Stores</span> Two distinct American supermarket chains

Lucky Stores was an American supermarket chain founded in San Leandro, California, that operated from 1935 until 1999. The Lucky brand was revived in 2007 and is now operated as two separate and distinct chains by Albertsons in Utah as Lucky and Save Mart Supermarkets in Northern California as Lucky California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Season</span>

Southern Season is a gourmet mail-order store based in Graham, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Food Markets</span> American food market chain owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc

Kings Food Markets is an American food market chain headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with stores in northern New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zabar's</span> Specialty food store in New York City

Zabar's is an appetizing store at 2245 Broadway and 80th Street, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, founded by Louis Zabar and Lillian Zabar. It is known for its selection of bagels, smoked fish, olives, and cheeses. While considered a Jewish delicatessen, Zabar's does not serve kosher food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Farms</span> California-based upscale grocery chain

Bristol Farms is an upscale grocery store chain in California, United States. Founded in Los Angeles County, Bristol Farms operates 19 stores: 13 as Bristol Farms locations and 6 branded as Lazy Acres Markets throughout Southern California. The company is currently owned by Good Food Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randalls</span> American supermarket chain in Texas owned by Albertsons Companies, Inc

Randalls is an American supermarket chain which operates 32 supermarkets in Texas under the Randalls and Flagship Randalls banners. The chain consists of 13 stores located around the Houston area and 15 stores located around the Austin area as of May 2020. Randalls today forms the nucleus of the current Houston division of Albertsons and is headquartered in the Westchase district of Houston. The office served as the headquarters of the independent Randalls company before its takeover and later the Texas division of Safeway. The Randalls distribution center was near Cypress, Texas, and now is serviced by the Tom Thumb distribution in Roanoke, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairway Market</span> American northeast grocery chain

Fairway Market is a small American grocery chain founded in 1933 by Nathan Glickberg. It is one of the brands owned by the Wakefern Food Corporation, whose flagship supermarket cooperative network is ShopRite.

Gourmet Garage is a chain of specialty/natural food markets with four locations in Manhattan as of 2022. The enterprise began as Flying Foods, a specialty food distributor, and transitioned into retail in 1992. Gourmet Garage's 3 locations were purchased by Village Super Markets, a member of the Wakefern Food Corporation cooperative, in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray's Cheese</span> Cheese shop in New York City

Murray's Cheese is an artisanal cheese and specialty foods retailer and wholesaler based in Greenwich Village in New York City. It was founded in Greenwich Village in 1962 as a spinoff of Glen Alden farms, an egg and dairy wholesaler. The company later expanded, and in 2012 opened a restaurant in Manhattan named Murray's Cheese Bar. In February 2017 the franchise was acquired by the Kroger Company. As of 2021, there are more than 800 locations.

Robert Ian Kaufelt is a "pioneer" in upscale supermarkets and specialty foods and the former owner of Murray's Cheese who is credited with turning Murray's into the "Apple Store of fromage." In 1991, he bought Murray's Cheese, the oldest cheese shop in New York City, founded by Murray Greenberg. He turned the store into a nationally recognized "gourmet destination". Kaufelt is an "important presence in the specialty food industry" as an innovative retailer, author of The Murray's Cheese Handbook, educator and "sought-after speaker".

Citarella Gourmet Market, commonly referred to as Citarella, is a chain of upscale grocery stores operating in New York and Connecticut. Founded in 1912, the company initially specialized in seafoods in New York City, and has ever since expanded into the field of gourmet food operating in affluent locations. Citarella currently operates 8 markets and 2 wine stores. The locations currently include Upper West Side, Upper East Side, West Village in Manhattan; East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Southampton on Long Island; as well as one food and wine market in Greenwich, Connecticut. In January 2023, they announced a new location to open in Westhampton Beach, New York. Since 1983, Citarella is owned by Joseph 'Joe' Gurrera.

References

  1. 1 2 Scelfo, Julie (October 25, 2016). The women who made New York. Heald, Hallie. Berkeley, California. p. 279. ISBN   978-1580056533. OCLC   960644058.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. 1 2 "Balducci's - Store Locations". Balduccis.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Roberts, Sam (March 30, 2018). "Andrew Balducci, Who Turned a Market Into a Food Mecca, Dies at 92". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Burros, Marian (June 28, 2000). "Balducci's: A House Divided Stands in Name Only". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Jennifer 8 (April 6, 2009). "In Rough Market, a Slow Market (Balducci's) Suffers". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Severson, Kim (April 20, 2020). "Nina Balducci, Who Shaped a Famed Grocery Store, Dies at 91". The New York Times . Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths BALDUCCI, DR". The New York Times . December 8, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  8. ↑ Curtis, Charlotte (November 26, 1985). "A New Show in Town". The New York Times . p. C16. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  9. ↑ Fabricant, Florence (June 23, 1999). "Sutton Place, Balducci's in Partnership". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  10. ↑ Barron, James (January 8, 2003). "Balducci's Flagship Closes in the Village; A New Site Is Planned". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Breaking News: Angelo, Gordon Sells Kings, Balducci's To Investment Company; Spires Remains CEO". foodtradenews.com. August 10, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  12. ↑ DiMartino, Christina (February 5, 2013). "Kevin Murphy, founder of Baldor Specialty Foods, dies at 58". The Produce News. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  13. ↑ "A New Balducci's, Back Downtown", The New York Times, December 14, 2005
  14. ↑ "Lining Up at Balducci's, and Not for the Salmon", The New York Times, March 6, 2006
  15. ↑ Buckley, Cara (April 26, 2009). "Balducci's Makes a Quiet Exit From Manhattan". The New York Times . Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ Fickenscher, Lisa (March 6, 2012). "Balducci's returns to NYC". Crains New York.
  17. ↑ "Dining Options" . Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Balducci's Sold". Westportnow.com. April 15, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Breaking News: Angelo, Gordon Sells Kings, Balducci's To Investment Company; Spires Remains CEO". foodtradenews.com. August 10, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Albertsons buys group of stores from bankrupt east coast chain, declares dividend". BoiseDev. October 14, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.