Colonial Stores was a chain grocery stores once found throughout much of the South. Most were transformed to Big Star Markets in the 1970s and later most became Harris Teeter or A&P.

History

David Pender Grocery Company

The chain evolved from Norfolk, Virginia's D. P. Pender Grocery Stores, the first of which opened in 1900.[1][2][3] In its early years the company used horse drawn wagons to deliver goods to customers.[1] In 1919 Pender opened a second grocery store in Norfolk, later expanding to more locations in Central and Eastern Virginia.[1] Pender retired on January 1, 1926, making the David Pender Grocery Company a publicly owned corporation which later became a subsidiary of National Food Products Corporation.[1] By Pender's retirement the company owned 244 stores and employed more than 1,500 people.[1][2] In 1930 the company made an average of $35,000 in sales per store.[3]

L. W. Rogers Grocery Company

L. W. Rogers opened the first of his grocery stores in Atlanta, Georgia in 1892.[1] In the next twenty years the company expanded to other locations in Georgia and South Carolina.[1] By 1926 Rogers' company was owned by National Food Products Corporation.[1]

Colonial Stores

In 1937 National Food Products opened two combined Pender-Rogers self-service supermarkets, under the name "Big Star", in Griffin, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina.[1][2] Subsequently some smaller stores were also opened under the name "Little Star".[1][2] In 1940 the chains were officially combined under the name Colonial Stores, Inc.[1][2] In 1947 the company introduced its rooster logo. In 1950 the company made $179 million in total sales, an average of $488,637 per store.[3]

In 1955 the Cincinnati based Albers Super Markets and the Indianapolis based Stop and Shop Companies were acquired by National Food Products and put under the Colonial Stores label.[1][4]

In the 1970s most of the stores were moved to the Big Star label.[1]

In 1978 the New Jersey based Grand Union purchased the Colonial Stores chain.[5] This move was initially blocked by the Federal Trade Commission out of fear Grand Union would be violating anti-trust laws.[6] This was later dismissed and the purchase was allowed to go ahead.[7]

The Norfolk stores were closed in the 1980s, and many were purchased by the Food Town chain.[1] In 1988 the stores owned by Grand Union were resold.[2] The North Carolina and Virginia stores were acquired by Harris-Teeter, and the Atlanta stores were acquired by A&P.[1][2]

Locations

The company at its peak owned over 500 stores across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.[1] The company had 435 stores by 1964.[8]

Its headquarters were located in Atlanta in 1955.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Henderson, Wayne (2009-04-06). "Colonial Stores History". Groceteria.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Coclanis, Peter A. (2006). Encyclopedia of North Carolina. William S. Powell, Jay Mazzocchi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-3071-2. OCLC 67727572.
  3. ^ a b c Lebhar, Godfrey M. (1952). Chain Stores in America, 1859-1950. New York: Chain Store Publishing Corporation. pp. 46, 53, 338.
  4. ^ "Reminisce: Albers Super Market". LimaOhio.com. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  5. ^ "The Big Star supermarket chain is expected to announce..." UPI. 1982-03-29. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  6. ^ Knight, Jerry (1978-11-23). "Field Plans To Buy Hess's". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  7. ^ "Federal Trade Commission Decisions July-December 1983" (PDF). Federal Trade Commission Decision Volumes. 102: 812.
  8. ^ "Colonial Stores Elects". The New York Times. 1964-05-07. p. 53. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  9. ^ Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Supermarket chain Colonial Stores headquarters, 1955". Digital Library of Georgia. Retrieved 2022-12-27.


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