| Type | Retailers' cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wholesale Distributor |
| Founded | 1940 |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
| Revenue | $1.6 billion USD |
| Employees | 1,400 |
| Website | afstores.com |
Associated Food Stores is an American retailers cooperative that supplies about 500 independently owned retail supermarkets throughout Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Nevada and Wyoming. The company was founded by Donald P. Lloyd in 1940, who was the president of the Utah Retail Grocers Association. It reported over US$1.6 billion in sales during fiscal year 2007 and is currently the fifty-sixth largest grocery retailer in the country by volume [1] with 23% of its total sales coming from its corporate stores.
In 2009, Associated Food Stores purchased 34 Albertsons stores in Utah from Supervalu Inc. The stores were renamed Associated Fresh Market and focus on fresh produce and meat. At the end of October 2010, 3 stores were closed due to poor performances. [2]
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Associated Food Stores was founded in 1940 by Donald P. Lloyd, president of the Utah Retail Grocers Association along with 34 Utah retailers. Concerned with effect that large corporate stores would have on small independent retailers, he felt the only way these small businesses could survive is if they united and faced the competition as one, therefore increasing their collective buying power. He convinced 34 stores to donate $300 to help build an independent and "associated" warehouse.[3]
As well as supplying independent grocers, Associated Food Stores also owns several corporate stores under five different names. Fresh Market, Macey's, Lin's, Dick's Market, and Dan's (all in Utah Except for one Lin's in Overton, Nevada) are all owned and operated by Associated Food Stores. It was reported in 2007 that 23% of the company's total sales came from its corporate stores.
Associated Food Stores is a primary distributor of the popular store brand Western Family owned by Western Family Foods. This also includes Better Buy, Shurfine, Shursavings and Marketchoice brands.
Popular stores supplied by Associated Food Stores.