Village Super Market Inc. history

In 1949, the company moved into a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Port Newark, hired a warehouse manager, and contracted the services of a trucking company for the delivery of purchased goods.

Period of Rapid Growth and Change: 1951-60

1953: Company builds first large warehouse in Cranford, New Jersey, and adds more staff members.

When Village Super Market incorporated in 1955, Nicholas Sumas, a co-founder, was selected as chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board.

By 1960, some of the old stores, a few originally only 2,000 to 3,000 square feet in size, had been transformed into much larger operations up to ten times their original size.

Despite periods of low profits, Village has managed to pay a cash dividend to its stockholders every year since it first went public in 1965.

1966: Supermarkets General Corp. forms and subsequently leaves Wakefern to form Pathmark.

By 1968 the Wakefern cooperative's success began to stifle its largest member, Supermarkets General.

Nicholas's second son, Robert, had already joined the board in 1969 as vice-president, secretary, and director in charge of finance and administration.

In 1979 the company enjoyed record sales of over $232 million.

The fifth member of the Sumas family joined the board of directors in 1980.

In 1987 one million shares of Class A common stock were issued, raising $17.6 million.

Initiated in 1989, Supermarket Careers was created to help special needs students train for work in ShopRites or other stores.

Village Super Market opened its largest store ever, at 82,000 square feet, in Rio Grande, New Jersey, in 1991.

In 1992, one of its largest members, Big V Supermarkets, opened the first PriceRite mini-warehouse club, hoping to get a share of a market dominated by Sam's Wholesale Clubs.