| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1936 (Yucaipa, California, United States) |
| Headquarters | San Bernardino, California, United States |
| Number of locations | 167 (May 2011)[1] |
| Key people | Jack H. Brown Chairman, President & CEO |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor |
| Revenue | $3.674 billion USD (2008)[1] |
| Website | www.staterbros.com |
Stater Bros. Markets is a privately held supermarket chain, based in San Bernardino, California, consisting of over 167 stores located throughout Southern California. Founded in Yucaipa, California in 1936 by Cleo and Leo Stater (with help from younger brother Lavoy), it consisted of 167 stores as of February 23, 2009. It entered the Fortune 500 for the first time in 2005 at #493,[2] the first notable Inland Empire-based company to do so. On September 10, 2007, the headquarters began construction of a 2,000,000-square-foot (190,000 m2) facility at San Bernardino International Airport (formerly Norton Air Force Base) from its former location on the Colton–Grand Terrace border, making it the largest Supermarket Distribution Center in California.
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Stores are mainly in communities east of the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. A few are also located in northern inland areas of San Diego County and parts of northern Los Angeles County such as Palmdale. However, throughout its Inland Empire base, they are concentrated heavily in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. With its reputation for its specialty in meats and its slogan "It's our meat that made us famous", Stater Bros. is notable for having meat cutters on duty for much of the day. All of the meat cutters working for Stater Bros Markets attend a two-year course in their corporate offices located in San Bernardino. After completing the two-year course, these cutters are certified to cut meat anywhere in the world. Concentrating on a local service area allows for close management of supply, quality, service, and costs. There are no stores located outside of California. All stores are focused on customer service especially through the image of their employees. All of the uniforms in the store are color coordinated to identify each person. Along with a standard white shirt, black slacks, and tie, employees wear aprons of distinct colors that identify their department:
- Courtesy Clerks: Green aprons
- Checkers and Grocery Clerks: Brown aprons
- General Merchandising Clerks: Red aprons
- Meat Department: Red aprons (typically plastic for easy cleaning).
- Service Deli and Bakery: Maroon aprons
- Seafood Department: Blue aprons
- Customer Service Representatives: Green vests
- Store Management: Brown vests
Meat Department personnel also wear dark blue bow ties, instead of neckties, and Seafood Department personnel wear red bow ties.
The company is currently run by Chief Executive Officer Jack H. Brown. With Chief Operations Officer Jim Lee.
For many years, Stater Bros. Markets didn't have an official corporate slogan (the unofficial phrase was "It's our meat that made us famous"), but that changed in the early 1990s when "The Low-Priced Leader in the Heartland" was introduced as the new official slogan (later changed to the current "The Low-Priced Leader in Your Hometown", now supplanted by an "unofficial" slogan: "An American Tradition To Serve Your Family Well"). As of 2009, the slogan has been replaced with a lengthy phrase with an emphasis on rhymed words. Found on almost every single plastic bag: "Lowering Prices Everyday to Help You Save on What You Pay!" is the current slogan.
Since 1990, Stater Bros. Markets has hosted their annual Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous classic car cruise.