Stater Bros. Markets
Company typePrivate
IndustryGrocery Store
FoundedAugust 17, 1936; 87 years ago (1936-08-17)
Yucaipa, California, U.S.
FoundersCleo Stater
Leo Stater
Headquarters301 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, California, U.S.
Number of locations
171[1] stores throughout Southern California, primarily in the Inland Empire (San Bernardino and Riverside Counties)
Key people
Pete Van Helden (CEO)[1]
Greg McNiff (President)[1]
ProductsBakery, dairy, deli, floral, frozen foods, general grocery, liquor, meat, produce, seafood, snacks
RevenueUS$4.2 billion (2015)[2]
Number of employees
18,000[1]
ParentLa Cadena Investments
Websitestaterbros.com

Stater Bros. Markets is a privately held supermarket chain, based in San Bernardino, California, consisting of 171 stores located throughout Southern California. It was founded in Yucaipa, California, on August 17, 1936, by twin brothers Cleo and Leo Stater when they purchased the market owned by Cleo's boss, W. A. Davis, with a $600 down payment ($12,653 in 2022 dollars [3]).[4] Cleo recalled to the Inland Empire Business Press in 1998, that the owner of the market across the street from Davis' gave him the other $300 to make the full down payment. Stater Bros. went public in 1964; Cleo, Leo, and their brother Lavoy sold their interests to the now-defunct Long Beach–based Petrolane Gas Service in 1968.[5] The chain has been owned fully by Stater Bros. Holdings, a subsidiary of La Cadena Investments, owned by Stater's late chairman, president and CEO, Jack H. Brown, since 1986.[6][7]

In 1999, Stater bought 43 plus one future Albertsons and Lucky supermarkets during Albertsons' merger with American Stores. This acquisition expanded Stater into new areas, including the Antelope Valley and San Diego County.[8] It entered the Fortune 500 for the first time in 2006 at #493,[9] the first notable Inland Empire–based company to do so. In 2006, 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.[10] In 2018, Stater sold its SuperRX pharmacy division to CVS.[11]

Stores

Stater Bros. Market in Loma Linda, CA

Through its Inland Empire base, stores are concentrated heavily throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California.

In Los Angeles and Orange counties stores are mainly in communities east of the San Gabriel River. A few stores are also located in northern areas of San Diego County and parts of northern Los Angeles County, such as Santa Clarita and Palmdale, as well as Pasadena. There is also one store in Ventura County, located in Simi Valley. Also, there are two stores in Kern County, located in Ridgecrest and Mojave.[12]

Management

Jack H. Brown joined Stater Bros. in 1981 as the company's president.[13] He served as chief executive and president for 35 years. In January 2016, Pete Van Helden was appointed president and chief executive, and Brown became Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.[14] Brown died on November 13, 2016. On December 12, former CFO Phillip J. Smith was elected chairman.[15] Smith was also elected chairman, president and CEO of Stater Bros. Holdings.

Slogans

For many years, Stater Bros. Markets did not have an official corporate slogan. The unofficial phrase was "It's our meat that made us famous." In the early 1990s, "The Eco-Friendly Leader in the Heartland" was introduced as the official slogan, which was later changed to "The Low-Priced Leader in Your Hometown," then supplanted by an unofficial slogan "An American Tradition To Serve Your Family Well." As of 2006, the slogan had been replaced with a lengthy phrase with an emphasis on rhymed words. Found on almost every single plastic bag and VHS tape: "Lowering Prices Everyday to Help You Save on What You Pay!" Currently, the slogan is "Where you Always Get More...For Less".

Route 66 Rendezvous

Since 1990, Stater Bros. has hosted the annual Stater Bros. U.S. Route 66 Rendezvous classic car cruise. However, because of bankruptcy of the city of San Bernardino in 2012, the event was cancelled until further notice. In 2014, San Bernardino hosted an alternative show, "Rendezvous Back to Route 66".[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "History of Stater Bros. Markets".
  2. ^ "Stater Bros". Forbes.
  3. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Stater Bros. History". Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  5. ^ "Cleo Stater, 89; Began Supermarket Chain". Los Angeles Times, September 12, 2001; retrieved December 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "Stater Bros. Holdings" encyclopedia.com via International Directory of Company Histories 2006; retrieved December 9.2018
  7. ^ "Court Clears Way for Brown to Get Control of Stater". Los Angeles Times, June 14, 1986; retrieved December 9, 2018.
  8. ^ "Stater Bros. Holdings". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the Fiscal Year Ended September 28, 2003; retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "Stater Bros. Holdings – Fortune 500". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  10. ^ Hirsch, Jerry (5 September 2006). "Stater Bros. Grooms and Grows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  11. ^ "Stater Bros. to Close Pharmacies, Transfer Assets and Services to CVS Pharmacy Locations". Victorville Daily Press. September 18, 2018; retrieved December 9, 2018
  12. ^ "Request Rejected". www.staterbros.com.
  13. ^ Masunaga, Samantha (16 November 2016). "Longtime Stater Bros. leader and San Bernardino supporter Jack H. Brown dies at 78". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  14. ^ "Pete Van Helden gives his take on new CEO role at Stater Bros". www.sbsun.com. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  15. ^ GRIFFITH, LORRIE. "Phil Smith Elected Stater Bros. Markets Chairman". The Shelby Report. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  16. ^ "Rendezvous Back to Route 66 Rolling Into San Bernardino". The San Bernardino Sun, September 10, 2014

External links

Supermarkets in the United States
History of retail in Southern California
Categories