Brookshire Grocery Company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brookshire Grocery Company | |
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| Type of Company | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | Tyler, Texas, 1928 |
| Headquarters | Tyler, Texas USA |
| Key people | Marvin S. Massey Jr., CEO |
| Industry | Retail (Grocery) |
| Employees | 12,250 |
| Slogan | Great People. Great Prices. |
Brookshire Grocery Co. is a Tyler, Texas-based supermarket chain with 160 stores operating in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. The company was founded in 1928 by Wood T. and Louise Brookshire, when they opened their first 25 x 100-foot store on Tyler’s downtown square.
The chain is currently not affiliated with the similarly named Brookshire Brothers, which was founded seven years earlier in Lufkin, Texas Originally part of the Brookshire Brothers the companies split in 1939.
[edit] History
During the 1930s, the company grew to four stores, one of which was the first grocery store in East Texas to have air conditioning. In the 1940s, the company expanded to other neighboring communities and opened its first shopping center location. Brookshire’s first warehouse opened in Tyler in 1953.
The 1960s saw the company’s expansion into Louisiana and the construction of a 175,000-square-foot distribution center in Tyler. In the 1970s, the company almost doubled its number of stores, opened its first stores in Arkansas, and expanded its distribution center. Highlights of the 1980s included the company’s introduction of its warehouse-concept stores, Super 1 Foods, as well as a 250,000-square-foot expansion of its distribution center.
During the 1990s the company’s manufacturing division grew rapidly after first adding a dairy plant and later ice cream, ice, juice and water plants. The company also opened a second distribution facility, this time in Monroe, La., as well as an almost 500,000-square-foot complex near Tyler.
Growth continued into the new millennium, with the addition of a 300,000-square-foot refrigerated distribution unit and expanded frozen foods operations at the Tyler Distribution Center, as well as continued new store openings.
[edit] Today
Today the company has more than 12,250 employee/partners serving customers in four store formats.
Most of the retail stores operate as Brookshire’s Food Stores, which offer frequent-shopper benefits and full-service conveniences such as carryout service, and Super 1 Foods Stores, which cater to customers who prefer a warehouse-style shopping experience and the savings these lower-overhead operations pass on to consumers.
The company also operates Olé Foods Stores, which offer a wide variety of predominantly Hispanic ethnic merchandise, as well as its newest format, ALPS (Always Low Price Store), which offers a limited selection of high-demand items and operates during traditionally peak hours.
In addition to traditional and specialty departments, many of the company’s stores offer pharmacies, bank branches, fuel centers, food bars and in-store Chinese food counters.
Retail support areas of the company, including Brookshire’s tractor-trailer fleet, distribution operations and manufacturing facilities, have won numerous awards for excellence.
Although much has changed since that first little store opened in 1928, many things have remained the same. One example is the company’s “People First” philosophies, which originated with company founder, “Mr. W.T.,” as he was affectionately called. He set the example in “Legendary Service” by literally jumping over the counter to assist customers and by having a servant’s heart for meeting their needs. He cultivated that same attitude in his employees, whom he referred to as “partners,” a practice that still continues today. He understood the importance of his “partners” feeling good about their jobs because of the direct effect it would have on how they cared for customers.
The company has long been known for its benevolent contributions and community service. Brookshire Grocery Co. is a loyal supporter of local food banks, schools, and various charitable organizations. Each year the company organizes an effort known as the Spirit of Christmas Food Drive that collects and delivers enough food to provide several meals for some 13,000 households of people in need. Brookshire’s Benefit Golf Tournament raises upwards of $130,000 annually for the Children’s Miracle Network and other children’s charities. The company’s Adopt-A-School Program teams up employee/partners with neighborhood schools and students to provide support for everything from mentoring programs to fundraisers. In 2005, partners built their first Habitat for Humanity house in Tyler. In all, the company contributes to more than 800 organizations each year.
