Super Value Inc. history

The new Newell and Harrison existed for only three years; in 1874 George R. Newell bought out his partners and renamed the company George R. Newell Company.

Wesco, founded by the Charles H. Hyde family in 1891, was Super Valu's largest acquisition to that time.

The Lewis Grocer Company was founded by Morris Lewis Sr. in 1895 and eventually became a multimillion dollar wholesale grocer, branching out later into the retail grocery business.

After a series of reorganizations (including Harrison's sale of his interest), this company became Winston, Harper, Fisher Company in 1903, headed by F. G. Winston, a Minneapolis railroad contractor; J. L. Harper, a merchandiser; and E. J. Fisher, a financier.

In 1916, Harrison's grandson, Perry Harrison, joined Winston, Harper, Fisher as vice-president and co-owner.

With Minnesotan Thomas G. Harrison at its helm, Winston & Newell became one of the first wholesale distributors in the nation to join the new Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). Harrison, the son of Perry Harrison, had joined Winston, Harper, Fisher Company in 1919 as an assistant sales manager.

1926: Earnings reach $6 million.

1930-31: Winston and Newell opens distribution centers in Des Moines, Bismarck, N.D., Fargo, N.D., and Aberdeen, S.D.

By 1942 the company had wholesale sales of $10 million and some 400 stores belonged to its wholesale-retail team.

1954: Winston and Newell changes its name to Super Valu.

1955-88:The company acquires 12 regional food wholesalers, primarily in the Midwest, Southeast, and Northwest.

In 1958 Russell W. Byerly became president of Super Valu.

Davis had joined the Hooley organization in 1960 and was a founder, with the Hooley family, of the discount stores.

In 1961 Super Valu moved into the Ohio Valley with the purchase of the Eavey Company, one of the nation's oldest food wholesale distributors.

In 1962 Super Valu established Planmark, a department that offered engineering, architectural, and design services to independent retailers, subsidiaries, and corporate stores.

In 1963 the company acquired the J.M. Jones Company of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and the Food Marketing Corporation of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In 1965 Super Valu acquired the Lewis Grocer Company of Indianola, Mississippi.

In 1968 Preferred Products, Inc. (PPI) was incorporated as a subsidiary of Super Valu to develop its private label program.

Super Valu also formed an insurance agency--Risk Planners, Inc.--in 1969.

Meanwhile, Super Valu sales surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 1972.

When Jack J. Crocker became chairman and CEO of Super Valu in 1973, he initiated another diversification venture, County Seat.

Very much a part of the trend toward consolidation in the food wholesale industry, Super Valu continued to purchase smaller food wholesalers, acquiring Pennsylvania-based Charley Brothers Company in 1977.

In June 1981 Jack Crocker, at age 57, stepped down from his position as CEO. Crocker, who headed Super Valu for nine years, brought the company to just over $4 billion in sales.

When it was sold for $71 million to Carson Pirie Scott and Company of Chicago in 1983, there were 269 stores in 33 states.

In 1984 Super Valu sold the center back to Cullum.

Culver M. Davis was appointed president and chief executive officer of Cub Foods in 1985.

By 1986 Super Valu had introduced another variation on the Cub theme.

1988: Opens Cub’s 50th store, while its wholesale operation serves 3,100 stores in 32 states.

The company decided to divest itself of part of ShopKo through an initial public offering (IPO). In October 1991 the IPO resulted in the sale of 54 percent of ShopKo to the public, netting Super Valu $420 million.

Late in 1993 Supervalu acquired Sweet Life Foods Inc., a wholesaler--based in Suffield, Connecticut, with $650 million in revenues--which had a few retail operations in New England, one of Supervalu's weaker regions.

In March 1994, the 30-store Texas T Discount Grocery Stores chain was acquired.

A major customer in the northeast closed in 1995, while another in the southeast was lost the following year.

In 1997, the company exited its 46 percent investment in ShopKo, making about $305 million in the net proceeds.

By mid-1998, the company had a strong first quarter to boast about, a two-for-one stock split, and opened or completed acquisitions of 73 stores.

Supervalu's Save-A-Lot chain also opened its 1,000th store in 2002.

2005: Buys W. Newell, a specialty produce distribution company.

2006: Buys Albertsons Inc., the nation’s second-largest grocery chain with more than 1,100 stores, for $12 billion.

In 2012, Super Value founded Quality Markets as an extension of the Super Value family brand.

2016: Sells Sav-A-Lot grocery chain, its largest after the Albertsons sale, for $1.4 billion.

2017: Buys Unified Grocers, a California-based wholesaler, in January and Associated Grocers of Florida, another distributor, in October.

2018: United Natural Foods Inc. buys Supervalu for $2.9 billion, announces plans to sell Cub and other grocery chains owned by Supervalu.