Lowes Foods
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| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, USA |
| Headquarters | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA |
| Key people | President: Steve Hall; Vice-President of Marketing/ Merchandising: Barbara Saulpaugh |
| Products | Grocery, Deli, Bakery, Meat, Seafood, Produce, Dairy, Floral, Online Ordering, Delivery, Fuel, Pharmacy |
| Revenue | 1.6 billion USD (2007) |
| Website | http://www.lowesfoods.com/ |
Lowes Foods is a grocery store chain based in Winston-Salem, NC. The company now has 102 stores in North Carolina, 5 in South Carolina, and 2 in Virginia. The chain's initial growth was in the mountains of North Carolina and rural areas of Virginia, but starting in the late 90's, has geared expansion towards metropolitan areas in North and South Carolina.
Until October 4, 2009, Lowes Foods used S&H Greenpoints on their store discount card; this was replaced with "Fresh Rewards" on October 5.[1] Many of Lowes Foods stores also offer Lowes Foods to Go, where shoppers can order groceries online and drive to the store to pick them up. Business and Home Delivery is available at select locations throughout North and South Carolina.
[edit] History
Lowes Foods started in Wilkesboro, North Carolina with a single store that Jim Lowe (former co-owner and son of the founder of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse) opened in 1954. Lowe sold that store to J.C. Faw. Expansion in Wilkesboro and the mountain regions of NC shortly followed. In 1984 the chain was sold to MDI[2] of Hickory, North Carolina. After MDI bought Institution Food House, Inc., the Lowes chain, MDI, and IFH became divisions of a new company, Alex Lee Inc., formed in 1992 and named for MDI founders Alex and Lee George.[3][4]
Lowes expanded outside the Piedmont Triad area in the mid-1990s after buying out Byrd's and taking over former Hannaford stores in the Triangle area and coastal regions. In 1997, Alex Lee, the parent company of Lowes, bought Byrd's Food Stores Inc. of Burlington, North Carolina, which had 43 stores. Lowes had 56 stores, few in the area served by Byrd's. The Byrd's stores became Lowes stores.[5][6]
Delhaize America had to sell 38 Hannaford stores to satisfy antitrust concerns. Lowes bought 12 of these, six (plus one under construction) in the Triangle and six on the coast.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Fran Daniel, "Lowes Drops Greenpoints," Winston-Salem Journal, October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Carolinas FYI: About Lowe's and Lowes," The Charlotte Observer, March 16, 2003.
- ^ http://www.lowesfoods.com/content/CorporateHistory.cfm, Retrieved on 2008/12/15.
- ^ Rob Urban, "L-R's Man of the Year Known for Modesty: Lee George Gets Praise for Good Works," The Charlotte Observer, January 15, 1989.
- ^ Karine Michael, "Lowes Foods Swallows Byrd's," The Herald-Sun, September 30, 1997.
- ^ "In the Region," Winston-Salem Journal, February 27, 1998.
- ^ Mike Ramsey, "38 Sold As Part of Merger; 6 Hannafords in Area Will Become Lowes Food Stores," Star-News, June 1, 2000.
[edit] External links
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