Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is the second-largest retailer-owned grocery wholesaler in the United States, after Wakefern Food Corporation. The cooperative serves over 1,900 stores in 21 states with a complete assortment of grocery, fresh meat, fresh produce, specialty foods, health care, and general merchandise items. Through an extensive distribution network and eight distribution centers, AWG and its subsidiaries deliver to over 2500 retail outlets in 24 states. It was founded in 1924 as Associated Grocers of Kansas City and is based in Kansas City, Kansas. Associated Wholesale Grocers distributes three brands of grocery products, Best Choice, Clearly Organic and Always Save. In addition to being a wholesaler, AWG owns and operates the supermarket chain Homeland.
AWG provides its retail members, many of them family-owned businesses, with assistance in establishing a strategic position in their marketplace that builds upon their unique strengths. AWG's procurement and marketing departments are positioned to assist members in developing plans to excel in virtually any effort, and resources are structured to provide support services that allow members the best opportunity to win at retail.
AWG’s has been distributing success since 1924 and sales have grown steadily since then. As in previous decades, sales continue to rise – from $4.95 billion in 2006 to $7.25 billion in 2010. Also in 2010, sales of AWG’s private label products reached the $1 billion mark for the first time.
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In 2007, AWG acquired its newest distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas. This facility is AWG’s largest, at 1.1 million square feet, and serves members in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. Also, AWG built a brand new, state-of-the-art distribution center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Having outgrown the previous warehouse, AWG built this 800,000 square foot facility to better serve its members in Oklahoma, northern Texas, and southern Kansas.
In 2009, AWG acquired Affiliated Foods Southwest.
In 2011, AWG broke ground on its newest division in Pearl River, Louisiana. The new Gulf Coast Division will provide great accessibility and low cost delivery of groceries to independent retailers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.