Spartan Stores
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spartan Stores | |
 |
|
| Type | Public (NASDAQ: SPTN) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1917 |
| Headquarters | Cutlerville, Michigan |
| Key people | Craig Sturken, CEO |
| Industry | Retail (Grocery) |
| Products | Private label grocery brands, Distributor, Grocery Store Management and Operation |
| Website | Spartan Stores |
Spartan Stores Inc. NASDAQ: SPTN is a food distributor and grocery store chain headquartered in Cutlerville, Michigan. It 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 cooperative. Spartan changed to "for profit" in the 1970's and was first traded on the NASDAQ in August 2000.
Spartan distributes national and Spartan brand products to 330 independent grocery stores in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
Spartan's retail operations started as independent grocery chains. However, in 1999, it bought the Family Fare, Great Day, Glen's and Prevo's supermaket 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 their respective region.
Family Fare and Glen's now use the same advertising package: "Closer. Faster. Friendlier. You're in the (store name) neighborhood."
The Pharm is a drugstore chain acquired in 2000 which doesn't use the "Closer. Faster. Friendler." theme.
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 June of 2006 Spartan Stores permanently closed two Family Fare stores, one located in Holland on Waverly and the other in Grandville off of Ivanrest. The company cited the desire to better utilize resources and a lack of future growth as its reasons for doing so.
Spartan Stores announced on July 14, 2006 that it plans to construct the first new D&W Fresh Market in several years. It will be located at the southeastern corner of the East Beltline and 3 Mile Road in Grand Rapids Township and will serve as one of two major anchor stores in proposed Orchard Hills mixed use development planned for the site. This will be the first D&W newly constructed by Spartan and will serve as the new prototype for the D&W banner. The project faces some opposition from residents petitioning to reverse the zoning of the lot. If all goes as planned, though, the new store is projected to be opened in Spring of 2008.
This announcement coincides with Spartan's announcement of its intentions to replace its Northland Drive Family Fare location with a store a little further up the road. This store will also serve as a primary anchor store in a mixed use development. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall of 2006 and subsequently be finished by Summer of 2007.
A story published in the Grand Valley Advance, a Grand Rapids local-community publication, stated that the company is interested in consolidating its Georgetown and Jenison locations into one single location. This rumored store would be located a couple blocks west of its current location in Jenison on Baldwin and 28th Avenue, currently the site of the Dale E. Wagner Park baseball diamonds and home to Georgetown Little League. Spartan is said to be in negotiations with the Little League to help relocate them and their facilities. The company has not appproached local governing officials regarding any such plan or released any official statement announcing such intentions, therefore these reports can only be regarded as rumors at this point in time.
[edit] Retail
- Family Fare Supermarkets: 24 stores in Western Michigan, company purchased in March 1999.
- Glen's Markets: 34 stores in Northern Michigan, company purchased in May 1999.
- The Pharm: 20 stores in Southeast Michigan, Ohio, company purchased in August 2000.
- D&W Food Centers: 10 stores in Western Michigan, company purchase announced in December 2005 and completed in March 2006.
