The Grocers Supply Co., Inc. is a wholesale grocery distributor with its headquarters in the Southeast Houston district, Houston, Texas.[1][2] As of 2011 it is the largest grocery wholesale company in the Southwest United States.[3]
The Levit family owns Grocer Supply. David Kaplan and Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle said that the company is "low-profile" and is most well known for the orange trucks. They said that it was one of the "strongest" American regional wholesalers. As of 2004 Grocers Supply has over 2,100 employees; most of them are in Houston. As of 2004 Grocer's Supply services Fiesta, Foodarama, Gerland's, Lewis Food Town, Rice Epicurean Markets, and Sellers Bros.[4]
The company services an area within a 350 miles (560 km) radius of the center of Houston. It services 1,200 convenience stores, over 650 grocery stores, and 200 schools.[5]
The company's main facility has over 747,752 square feet (69,468.4 m2) of space. A 211,611-square-foot (19,659.3 m2) cooler and freezer is across the street from the main warehouse. Grocers Supply has four satellite warehouses, all in Houston.[5]
Joe Levit, an immigrant from Russia, began a grocery wholesale business when he leased a 7,500-square-foot (700 m2) three story building in the "Produce Row" area of Houston. In 1928 the company moved its operations to the warehouse, larger than the previous facility, in Downtown Houston, near the Buffalo Bayou. In 1936, the facility flooded. The company moved to a three story building at the intersection of Commerce and Jackson. The company later moved to another building on north Jackson.[5]
In 1956 the company moved its operations to its current location. The facilities there had been expanded on several occasions. The company's new cooler and freezer opened in 1983, across the street from its main warehouse. At the time it had 105,000 square feet (9,800 m2) of space. This facility was later expanded.[5]
In 2003 the company generated sales of $1.5 billion.[4]
By 2004 Grocers Supply had purchased the Handy Andy grocery chain, which was previously owned by H.A. Assets. Grocers Supply formed the subsidiary Bexar County Markets so it could manage the Handy Andy locations. In 2004 there were ten Handy Andy locations.[3]
In 2004 Grocers Supply purchased Fiesta Mart, a supermarket chain. Prior to the purchase, Fiesta was the company's largest customer. According to David Kaplan and Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle, a local grocery industry member who wished to remain anonymous said that the acquisition was beneficial for both firms. He said that the acquisition protected Grocers Supply since it ensured that it would not lose Fiesta; if Fiesta was sold to another company, there was the possibility that Fiesta could switch to another grocery supplier. Kaplan and Sarnoff said that the anonymous employee added that the acquisition allowed Fiesta to get access to more capital and growth potential.[4]
