Minyard Food Stores history

Six new stores were opened, including the first outside of Dallas County in McKinney in 1957.

He was a founding member of the Dallas Urban League Inc., a community service organization, and was heavily involved with the grocery community as well--Buddy served as the president of the Dallas Retail Grocers Association in 1959 and served on the board of the National Retail Grocers Association.

By 1960, the 11 Minyard Food Stores generated sales of $15 million.

Additional sites were purchased for future expansion and in 1961, a 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m) complex on Cedar Springs Street in Dallas became the site of Minyard's central office and distribution operations.

By 1978, nine shopping centers were also owned by Minyard Properties, Inc.

In 1979, a store opened in Mesquite that introduced bar codes and scanning to the chain.

In 1981 Minyard headquarters was established in Coppell, a town located between Dallas and Fort Worth that was a two-minute drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

In 1982 Minyard diversified from its standard grocery store format by opening its first Sack 'n Save Warehouse Food Store.

In 1987, Minyard purchased 24 stores from Safeway Stores, Inc., which exited the Dallas-Fort Worth market.

1988: Lisbeth Minyard and Gretchen Minyard Williams assume leadership of the company.

In 1992 Minyard Food Stores celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The threat presented by incoming Food Lion failed to bear fruit, and by 1994 Food Lion announced store closures of about half of its stores in the Dallas–Fort Worth region.

In 1995 the company opened a Minyard Food Store in the inner-city neighborhood of south Dallas.

Although Tom Thumb-Page lost its number one status to Albertson’s, Minyard managed to move up to third in 1996.

By 1997 Food Lion had exited Texas.

Minyard also opened a Carnival Food Store, its largest to date, in north Fort Worth, yet another severely underserved community, in 1998.

J. L. Williams told the Dallas Morning News in January 1999, “Next month is our 67th anniversary.

Nearly all the existing grocery sellers and new entrants were surrendering business to Wal-Mart, which posted the largest increase in market share in 2000 in both Dallas and Fort Worth–Arlington.

——, “In Dallas-Area’s Crowded Market, Grocery Sellers Find Success Isn’t in the Bag,” Dallas Morning News, March 1, 2001, p.5.

——, “Trading Spaces: Minyard’s Conversion of a Sack ’n Save into a Vibrant Carnival Supermarket Creates a ‘Muy Caliente’ Shopping Experience,” Progressive Grocer, March 1, 2003, p.5.

On October 29, 2004, after 72 years in business, the Minyard family sold Minyard Food Stores, Inc. to Acquisition Vehicle Texas II, LLC, an investment company conducting business under name Minyard Group.

In July 2005, Minyard converted 11 of its conventional and Sack ’n Save stores to its Latino-focused Carnival banner in order to serve the growing population in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

——, “Minyard’s Carnival Game Plan,” Grocery Headquarters, April 2006, p.14.

In early 2007, the company signed an agreement with Associated Wholesale Grocers to outsource its warehouse and distribution operations.

With its market share declining due to pressure from larger chains (such as Walmart putting full grocery stores in their Walmart Super Centers, and Target and Kmart doing the same), Minyard sold its 37 Carnival stores to a group including Houston-based Fiesta Mart, Inc. in 2008.

In May 2011, 10 Minyard locations were acquired by RLS Supermarkets of Carrollton.

In late 2014, Minyard purchased stores from Albertson's and Tom Thumb as part of anti-trust settlements resulting from Albertson's merger with Safeway (Tom Thumb's corporate parent).