Merchants Distributors, Inc.

Alex Lee, Inc. is a wholesale distributor of food and non-food items to grocery stores, headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, United States. Its Merchants Distributors, Inc. division supplies more than 600 stores located in nine states, mostly in the Southeast[1].

History

In 1931, Alex and Lee George started MDI with the help of their father, Moses George, a Shelby, North Carolina grocer. Lee George retired in 1980 but remained chairman[2].

In 1984, MDI bought the Lowes Foods chain of supermarkets[3].

In 1992, MDI bought Institution Food House, founded in 1966 and one of the 13 largest food distributors in the country as of 2008. The company changed its name at this time to Alex Lee Inc., named for MDI founders Alex and Lee George, and MDI became a division of Alex Lee[4][5].

In 1995, MDI became a distribution center for Independent Grocers Alliance. In addition to providing the IGA stores with low-priced merchandise, this arrangement allowed IGA to take advantage of the advertising and merchandising skills of MDI[1].

Also in 1995, MDI announced plans for a $60 million plant in Caldwell County. The company received $5.5 million in economic incentives from Caldwell County and Hickory, with plans for Hickory to annex the site and turn part of it into an industrial park (though as of 2008 the city had done nothing with its part of the land). This arrangement created controversy because the North Carolina Supreme Court had not yet ruled on whether such economic incentives to keep businesses were constitutional[6][7]. Two years later, the distribution center was complete, though neighbors complained about the noise, and a few people claimed construction damaged their nearby homes[8].

MDI also supplies Galaxy Food Centers, founded in 1979, with 100 stores in 7 states[9].

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.merchantsdistributors.com, Retrieved on 2008/12/15.
  2. ^ Rob Urban, "L-R's Man of the Year Known for Modesty: Lee George Gets Praise for Good Works," The Charlotte Observer, January 15, 1989.
  3. ^ "Carolinas FYI: About Lowe's and Lowes," The Charlotte Observer, March 16, 2003.
  4. ^ http://www.lowesfoods.com/content/CorporateHistory.cfm, Retrieved on 2008/12/15.
  5. ^ http://www.institutionfoodhouse.com, Retrieved on 2008/12/15.
  6. ^ Norman Gomlak, "Incentives for Keeping MDI in Hickory Top $5 Million," The Charlotte Observer, November 17, 1995.
  7. ^ Hannah Mitchell, "Hickory Still Has No Plans for Vacant 122-Acre Tract," The Charlotte Observer, January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ Jon Goldberg, "Hickory Company Gets Noise Warning," The Charlotte Observer, October 24, 1997.
  9. ^ http://www.merchantsdistributors.com/customer_service/galaxy/, Retrieved on 2008/12/15.

External links