Wegmans Food Markets owns nearly 70 stores. They offer specialty shops such as huge in-store cafes, cheese shops with some 400 different varieties, and French-style pastry shops. The company is known for its gourmet cooking classes and an extensive employee-training program. Wegmans also runs 14 Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden home-improvement stores and a restaurant.
Performance Food Group (PFG) is one of the nation’s largest foodservice distributors, delivering more than 64,000 foodservice items to approximately 44,000 customers from every kind of eatery coast to coast.
Couche-Tard offers a broad mix of food products, beverages, other merchandise and services and motor fuel. It is the second largest independent convenience store operator in North America, and the industry leader in Canada.
Metoz Holdings Ltd. is the largest distributor of fast moving consumer goods. It has extensive wholesale and retail interests in South Africa - as well as a trading office situated in Hong Kong. It has expertise in all aspects of logistics and retail - operating stores that range from enormous Distribution Centres, Hyper stores, Cash and Carry outlets as well as small retail shops.
Somerfield is a high street supermarket chain with stores in many prominent locations throughout the UK. Offering high quality food with a particular emphasis on fresh foods and convenient shopping, the stores provide a modern retail environment in a convenient location with friendly and efficient service.
Winn-Dixie is one of the largest food retailers in the nation and ranks 182 on the FORTUNE 500 list. The Company operates stores across the Southeastern United States and in the Bahamas under the Winn-Dixie, Winn-Dixie Marketplace, SaveRite, and City Market banners. For over 80 years, the Winn-Dixie name has stood for real quality and value.
Sobeys Inc., headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, is a leading national grocery retailer and food distributor. The Company owns or franchises more than 1,300 stores in all 10 provinces under retail banners that include Sobeys, IGA extra, IGA and Price Chopper.
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc. (A&P) operates 427 stores in the United States under 8 retail banners, which include conventional supermarkets, food and drug combination stores, and discount food stores. A&P employs 42,872 associates.
Kesko Group (Kesko) is the leading provider of services in the Finnish trading sector and is also expanding its operations in the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries and Russia. The food trade is the largest of Kesko’s divisions, accounting for over half of Kesko Group’s net sales of over EUR$7.5 Billion. Kesko Food, operates in the grocery market offering diverse services to consumers and business customers in Finland and the Baltic countries.
Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with 171 stores in North America and the United Kingdom.
Wm Morrison Supermarkets has moved up the UK food chain with the acquisition of its larger rival Safeway plc. The grocery chain increased its store count to about 550 supermarkets from just 125 when it beat out UK supermarket giants Tesco (the UK’s #1 food retailer) and Wal-Mart-owned ASDA in a highly-contested takeover battle. Morrison supermarkets offer a variety of food and nonfood items (including cars), most notably through its Market Street specialty departments. About 100 of the stores have gas stations. The chain is strong in northern England, but recently Morrison has opened new outlets in several southern counties ruled by much larger competitors. Chairman Sir Kenneth Morrison owns 38% of the company.
Supervalu Inc. is a United States grocery company that operates through two segments: retail food and food distribution. SUPERVALU conducts its retail operations under three food store formats: extreme-value stores primarily under the retail banner Save-A-Lot; price superstores, under the regional retail banners of Cub Foods, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy and bigg’s, and supermarkets, under the regional retail banners of Farm Fresh, Scott’s and Hornbacher’s. SUPERVALU also provides food distribution and related logistics support services across the United States retail grocery channel. As of February 26, 2005, the Company served as the primary grocery supplier to approximately 2,300 retail food stores in 48 states, and as a secondary supplier to approximately 700 stores. On April 1, 2004, SUPERVALU sold its minority interest in WinCo Foods, Inc. On February 7, 2005, the Company acquired Total Logistics, Inc., a national provider of integrated third-party logistics services.
Delhaize “Le Lion” operates 2,550-plus retail stores under 20-plus names in the US and eight countries in Europe and Asia. On its own turf, Delhaize Belgium runs more than 700 stores under banners such as AD Delhaize, Delhaize, Di (health and beauty products), Tom & Co (pet products), and Proxy (convenience stores).
Coles Myer is Australia’s largest retailer with more than 2,500 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand. Accounting for about two-thirds of sales is the food, fuel, and liquor group, which includes about 700 Bi-Lo and Coles supermarkets, some 625 Liquorland outlets, and 600 Coles Express convenience stores. Coles Myer also sells apparel and general merchandise through its department store chain Myer Grace Bros, and the discount chains Target and Kmart. (Coles Myer holds the rights from Kmart and Target Corporation to use the Kmart and Target names in Australia and New Zealand.) The retailer also sells online via e.colesmyer.
Today the Ahold group runs 5,600 shops (supermarkets and hypermarkets) and operates in the United States, Europe, Asia.In the United States, Ahold has a hugue network of stores operating under the names of Stop & Shop, Giant-Landover, Giant-Carlisle, and Tops. Its services also now include e-business.In Europe,its presence is consolideted with brand names such as Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, along with Schuitema, Gall & Gall, Etos, and Jamin Candy.Ahold also has a lot ofstores in Asia, covering Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.The group has now become a giant in the world retail industry and is continuing to expand with a keen strategy of acquisitions. Proof of it is the acquisition of five superstores in Poland from the Jeronimo Martins group, in 2002.
Associated British Foods (ABF) is a leading international food ingredients and retail company. It is one of the largest food companies in the European region. The company is also a leading textile retailer in the region. Other than Europe, the company has its sales and manufacturing operations across New Zealand, Australia, China, and the US.The company’s business is broadly classified into four divisions, which include grocery, primary food and agriculture, ingredients and retail.
The Kroger Co. is one of the largest retail food companies in the United States as measured by total annual sales. The headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio, where it was founded in 1883 by Barney Kroger.
The Kroger Co. is a dynamic organization that has made significant contributions to food and drug retailing. As a concerned and active corporate citizen, The Kroger Co. also makes important contributions to the communities it serves.
George Weston Limited (Weston) is a Canadian public company founded in 1882 and through its operating subsidiaries constitutes one of North America’s largest food processing and distribution groups.Weston has two reportable operating segments:Weston Foods and Food Distribution, which is operated by Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw). The Weston Foods operating segment is primarily engaged in the baking and dairy industries within North America. Loblaw, the largest food distributor in Canada, concentrates on food retailing while increasing its offering of general merchandise products and services.
Albertson’s, Inc. is engaged in a single operating segment, the retail sale of food and drug merchandise in the United States. As of April 30, 2004, the Company operated over 2,500 retail stores in 37 states. These retail stores consist of 1,556 combination food-drug stores, 707 stand-alone drugstores and 247 conventional and warehouse stores. The Company also operated 228 fuel centers in 22 states, which are located near its existing stores. Retail operations are supported by 17 distribution centers. These distribution centers provide product exclusively to the Company’s retail stores. Albertson’s stores operated under the banners Albertsons, Albertsons Express, Albertsons-Osco, Albertsons-Sav-on, Jewel, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Sav-on Drugs, Osco Drug, Max Foods, Super Saver Foods, Shaw’s and Star Markets.
Safeway Inc. (Safeway) is a food and drug retailer in North America with 1,802 stores as on January 1, 2005. The Company’s United States retail operations are located principally in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, the Chicago metropolitan area and the Mid-Atlantic region. Its Canadian retail operations are located principally in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan. In support of its retail operations, Safeway has a network of distribution, manufacturing and food processing facilities. The Company also has a 49% interest in Casa Ley, S.A. de C.V. (Casa Ley), which operates 115 food and general merchandise stores in Western Mexico. In addition, the Company has a strategic alliance with and a 54% ownership interest in GroceryWorks Holdings, Inc., an Internet grocer.
Sysco, North America’s leading foodservice marketer and distributor is dedicated to helping our customer succeed. SYSCO’s foundation is that of an entrepreneurial culture that fosters the autonomy of each and every one of our operating entities across the United States and Canada.
Sysco operates in one of the most basic of industries - the distribution of food and related products and services to restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, hotels, motels, schools, colleges, cruise ships, sports parks and summer camps - wherever a meal is prepared away from home. The company’s success is deeply intertwined with its customers, for we are only successful if we help them be successful.
J Sainsbury is a leading UK food retailer with interests in financial services. It comprises Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Sainsbury’s Bank, Bells Stores, Jackson’s Stores (acquired August 2004) and JB Beaumont and employs 150,000 people.
The objective is to meet its customers’ needs effectively and thereby provide shareholders with good, sustainable financial returns. It aims to ensure all colleagues have opportunities to develop their abilities and are well rewarded for their contribution to the success of the business. The policy is to work with all of the suppliers fairly, recognising the mutual benefit of satisfying customers’ needs. It also aims to fulfil the responsibilities to the communities and environments in which J Sainsbury operates.
Ito-Yokado Co. operates more than 10,350 Seven-Eleven stores in Japan and about 1,300 other stores (department stores, restaurants, specialty shops, supermarkets, and superstores). The retailer’s York Mart supermarket chain operates about 55 grocery stores in the Tokyo metro area. It owns about 73% of 7-Eleven, Inc., which franchises the 7-Eleven name worldwide though it recently sold its interest in 7-Eleven to 7-Eleven Japan. The company is the Japanese franchisee for Oshman’s sporting goods stores, Robinson’s department stores, and Denny’s restaurants in Japan.
Metro AG, Germany’s largest retailer, owns and operates about 2,400 wholesale stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, and specialty retailers (home improvement, consumer electronics), mainly in Germany but also in 28 other countries, including India, Russia, and Ukraine. Its store banners include Metro Cash & Carry, Makro, and Galeria Kaufhof. METRO also runs restaurants in its department stores and hypermarkets and offers advertising and insurance to its retail chains. Nearly 60% of METRO is owned by founder Otto Beisheim, Franz Haniel & Cie, and the Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family.
Carrefour is the European leader in distribution, the world second, owns a number of other brands such as SHOPI and ED, and has 10 400 shops in 29 countries, including China.It is no mere chance that Carrefour today serves more than 2 billion customers. The customer is king and the group is constantly innovating. From the development of ranges of local products to the implementation of supply chain management (product tracking, respect for the environment), it is constantly adapting to its customers’ new consumption patterns.The group has also developed a number of other customer services, such as the sale of financial products, theatre and concert tickets, holidays and Internet-selling. The group’s long-term aim is to become the supermarket of the future where the customer can find everything they need under one roof.
Tesco has seen a steady increase in market share through a customer focused strategy including getting cheaper, offering better value and providing more choice and convenience for customers. It is now into its second billion pounds of price cuts, this represents more than an 11% drop in price in real terms.Tesco continues to invest in service. In 2001/2002 Tesco introduced Customer Champions in many stores, and implemented a new labour scheduler to further improve service for customers.
