Colonial Stores

This article is about a U.S. chain of grocery stores. For stores selling colonial goods, see Colonial goods. For the U.K. grocery store chain, see Home and Colonial Stores.

Colonial Stores was a chain grocery stores once found throughout much of the South. Most were transformed to Big Star Markets in the 1970s and later most became Harris Teeter or A&P.

History

David Pender Grocery Company

The chain evolved from Norfolk, Virginia's D. P. Pender Grocery Stores, the first of which opened in 1900. ^{[1] [2] [3]} In its early years the company used horse drawn wagons to deliver goods to customers. ^[1] In 1919 Pender opened a second grocery store in Norfolk, later expanding to more locations in Central and Eastern Virginia. ^[1] Pender retired on January 1, 1926, making the David Pender Grocery Company a publicly owned corporation which later became a subsidiary of National Food Products Corporation. ^[1] By Pender's retirement the company owned 244 stores and employed more than 1,500 people. ^{[1] [2]} In 1930 the company made an average of $35,000 in sales per store. ^[3]

L. W. Rogers Grocery Company

L. W. Rogers opened the first of his grocery stores in Atlanta, Georgia in 1892. ^[1] In the next twenty years the company expanded to other locations in Georgia and South Carolina. ^[1] By 1926 Rogers' company was owned by National Food Products Corporation. ^[1]

Colonial Stores

In 1937 National Food Products opened two combined Pender-Rogers self-service supermarkets, under the name "Big Star", in Griffin, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina. ^{[1] [2]} Subsequently some smaller stores were also opened under the name "Little Star". ^{[1] [2]} In 1940 the chains were officially combined under the name Colonial Stores, Inc. ^{[1] [2]} In 1947 the company introduced its rooster logo. In 1950 the company made $179 million in total sales, an average of $488,637 per store. ^[3]

In 1955 the Cincinnati-based Albers Super Markets and the Indianapolis-based Stop and Shop Companies were acquired by National Food Products and put under the Colonial Stores label. ^{[1] [4]}

In the 1970s most of the stores were moved to the Big Star label. ^[1]

In 1978 the New Jersey–based Grand Union purchased the Colonial Stores chain. ^[5] This move was initially blocked by the Federal Trade Commission out of fear Grand Union would be violating anti-trust laws. ^[6] This was later dismissed and the purchase was allowed to go ahead. ^[7]

The Norfolk stores were closed in the 1980s, and many were purchased by the Food Town chain. ^[1] In 1988 the stores owned by Grand Union were resold. ^[2] The North Carolina and Virginia stores were acquired by Harris-Teeter, and the Atlanta stores were acquired by A&P. ^{[1] [2]}

Locations

The company at its peak owned over 500 stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. ^[1] The company had 435 stores by 1964. ^[8]

Its headquarters were located in Atlanta in 1955. ^[9]

References

1. Henderson, Wayne (2009-04-06). "Colonial Stores History". Groceteria.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
2. Coclanis, Peter A. (2006). Encyclopedia of North Carolina. William S. Powell, Jay Mazzocchi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0-8078-3071-2. OCLC   67727572.
3. Lebhar, Godfrey M. (1952). Chain Stores in America, 1859-1950. New York: Chain Store Publishing Corporation. pp. 46, 53, 338.
4. "Reminisce: Albers Super Market". LimaOhio.com. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
5. "The Big Star supermarket chain is expected to announce..." UPI. 1982-03-29. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
6. Knight, Jerry (1978-11-23). "Field Plans To Buy Hess's". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
7. "Federal Trade Commission Decisions July-December 1983" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission Decision Volumes. 102: 812.
8. "Colonial Stores Elects". The New York Times. 1964-05-07. p. 53. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-12-27.
9. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Supermarket chain Colonial Stores headquarters, 1955". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved 2022-12-27.