ShopRite (United States)

This article is about the North American food distributor. For other companies with the same or similar name, see ShopRite.

ShopRite

The current logo (2002–present)
Type	Retailers' cooperative Private
Industry	Grocery
Founded	1946 (as Wakefern) 1951 (as ShopRite)
Headquarters	Keasbey, New Jersey, United States
Number of locations	230+
Area served	Northeastern United States
Services	Bakery Dairy Deli Frozen foods Grocery Meat Pharmacy Produce Seafood Snacks Liquor Kosher
Parent	Wakefern Food Corporation
Website	ShopRite.com

ShopRite Supermarkets is a retailers' cooperative (co-op) chain of supermarkets in the northeastern United States, with stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Based in Keasbey, New Jersey, ShopRite consists of 47 individually owned-and-operated affiliates with more than 230 stores, all under its corporate and distribution arm, Wakefern Food Corporation. Wakefern itself owns and operates 27 of the locations through subsidiary ShopRite Supermarkets, and is the largest affiliate in the cooperative.

As of 2011, ShopRite is the largest retailer of food in Greater Philadelphia, pushing ACME Markets to number 2 after many decades of dominance in the market. As of 2010, Wakefern was ranked 16^th by sales among all supermarket operators in the United States.

History

1951–1974 Shop-Rite logo

1974–2003 ShopRite logo, still in use at some locations

ShopRite originated in 1946, when a Del Monte Foods sales representative talked to independent grocers in Newark, New Jersey. The grocers were having problems getting reasonable prices for wholesale goods. The Del Monte representative suggested the grocers try cooperative buying. Seven of the grocers agreed; paying $1,000 each to launch Wakefern Foods, which was incorporated on December 5, 1946. The seven who began Wakefern unanimously agreed the new venture was a success. Members of Wakefern advertised under their own names. However in 1951, they decided they could be more competitive, and spread the word about their great prices by advertising under the name ShopRite.

In 1958, ShopRite cut prices by 10% as an alternative to giving away trading stamps, which other supermarkets in New Jersey were doing. The move was successful, drawing customers and helping create more Shoprite stores. By 1961, Wakefern had 70 members, totaling $100 million in annual sales; it not only had become a major player in New Jersey, it was attracting members from neighboring areas.

One large member, Supermarkets General, pulled out in the late 1960s, halving the number of Wakefern stores. The Supermarkets General stores became Pathmark in 1968. The remaining members redoubled their efforts, adopted "one member, one vote" as a management principle, and expanded aggressively. By the late 1970s, the volume lost from Supermarkets General's departure was restored.

In 1971, ShopRite introduced their Can-Can Sale, where canned goods (as well as other products) were placed on steep discounts, and is usually held in January. Animated commercials for this promotion feature a chorus line of cancan girls and a French artiste. In 2002, ShopRite expanded that sale to twice a year when they introduced the Summer Can-Can Sale, usually held in July.

In recent years ShopRite has renovated, expanded, or rebuilt many of its older stores, and added new ones. Most stores are larger than before with improved facilities. Some older ShopRite stores date to the 1950s and 1960s. Examples of a newly built giant ShopRites are in Wharton, New Jersey, opened in 2001, as well as Parsippany, New Jersey. Also a rebuilt one in nearby Succasunna. ShopRite's slogan "This is Your Neighborhood...This is Your ShopRite" is used when promoting and supporting community events, which is used on their current manufactured trucks.

In the early 1990s, ShopRite introduced the Price Plus Club Card, which replaced the Courtesy Card; it is free of charge to acquire. Having a Price Plus Card enables shoppers to receive special weekly discounts, listed in circulars mailed with local newspapers. Most sales are company-wide, valid for all area ShopRites, however some stores choose to put special items on sale based on stock. The Price Plus Card program tracks purchases for special promotions, such as OnePass Miles, a program with Continental Airlines, and Baby Bucks, a program which gives customers $10.00 off a future $50 purchase for every $100.00 spent on baby items. The Price Plus Card also tracks purchases, which aids in ShopRite's "No Hassle Return" policy.

In 1996, ShopRite launched its own line of deli meats, cheeses and complements with its premium private label, Black Bear of the Black Forest, to compete against the expansion of Boars Head in competitor's supermarkets. Black Bear's Healthier Lifestyle Program is recognized in the industry as being the only private brand to exceed government standards for a healthier lifestyle (low fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium). As well, all Black Bear meats and cheeses are gluten free, MSG free, and are part of the NSRI(National Salt Reduction Initiative). Black Bear has become the single most successful premium private label in the deli industry. In 2011, over 15 million pounds of Black Bear slicing meats and cheeses were sold at ShopRite.

Since 1999, ShopRite has offered an online grocery shopping service on its website, under the service name ShopRite from Home, through MyWebGrocer.com, at some stores. For a fee, a ShopRite employee will fulfill your shopping order at your local store and depending on the location, you can schedule a home delivery or at-store pick-up.

Today, it is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S. As a result of the cooperative system, there has been no set format for building architecture, store layout, or color scheme of the storefronts. Most stores are the product of the era in which they were opened, and the owner's style. For example, the ShopRite of West Caldwell, New Jersey has a Japanese motif inside and outside of the store (including rickshaws and an exit sign reading "Sayonara".) The Ronetco family of stores (Netcong, Byram, Newton, Franklin, Flanders, Mansfield, and Succasunna, New Jersey) have different looks on the outside (including the shopping carts and Cart Corrals), although the stores themselves have a similar layout. Shop Rite stores that were previously other stores usually contain elements of the previous occupant. As large corporations buy up stores, recent years have brought a homogenization in building design and store layout.

Currently, ShopRite's base stretches from the Baltimore metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic to the Hartford area in New England. While New Jersey is home to the most ShopRite stores, the chain also has a strong presence in New York (in the New York City suburbs) and Pennsylvania (mostly in the Philadelphia area). In 2010, ShopRite expanded its presence in Connecticut through the purchase of eleven former Shaw's locations. In late 2011, ShopRite entered a new market by expanding further north into New York's Capital District with a store in Niskayuna; a store in Albany is planned for opening in 2012 (ShopRite had been in the area in the past until 1988).

Slogans

• Why Pay More? Shop at a ShopRite store!
• ShopRite Does It Right (1980s-1994)
  • We Save You (more) Money! ShopRite Does it Right!
• ShopRite and Always Save (1994–96; alternate until 1999)
• What's for Dinner? ShopRite Has the Answer! (1996–99; is still used, even with the current logo, on sale tags for Meats, Seafood, Delicatessen, etc.)
• Always Fresh...Always for Less! (1999–present)
• One Place. Your Place. (2008–present)

Other ShopRite/Wakefern chains and concepts

• PriceRite limited-assortment grocery stores

Main article: PriceRite

PriceRite

Wakefern (ShopRite's corporate arm) operates the PriceRite limited-assortment chain of stores in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and California. PriceRite is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern. There are currently 49 PriceRite stores.

• PriceRite Warehouse Clubs (Defunct)

Main article: PriceRite

The PriceRite name was used in the early 1990s on Wakefern's failed warehouse club concept stores.

• ShopRite Garden Center (Defunct)

For many years, Foodarama operated very small ShopRite Garden Center on Route 130 in East Windsor, New Jersey. In 2004, with the construction of a massive Home Depot directly adjacent to the small store, a decision was made to close the store and Foodarama moved its garden center operations into a 55,000. sq. ft.former Frank's Nursery & Crafts store. The store had operated as a Franks location for only 4 years before the company was liquidated, and the large building combined 23,000 sq ft (2,100 m²). of interior selling space with 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m²). of covered outside selling area, for a total of 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m²). The ShopRite Garden Center closed in 2008.

• ShopRite Wines & Spirits

Wakefern members also operate a cooperative chain of stores which offer wine, beer and spirits called ShopRite Wines & Spirits. Most stores are located adjacent-to, or inside-of ShopRite Supermarkets; however, there are several freestanding stores. One store (in Pennington, New Jersey) even offers a bar right inside the ShopRite store.

Members operate 36 ShopRite Wine and Spirits Shops in New Jersey and New York.

Sunrise ShopRites of West Caldwell also operates three (Parsippany, New Jersey, West Caldwell, New Jersey and Westfield, New Jersey) ShopRite Sunrise Wine-Cellar locations which offer an expanded selection of high-quality and specialty wines. These stores are generally smaller than their normal ShopRite counterparts, and specialize in wines and related alcoholic beverages.

• ShopRiteFlowers.com

In December 2006, Wakefern partnered with vistaflor.com to launch Shopriteflowers.com. Vistaflor is a Colombian flower grower and provides direct home delivery of floral arrangements under ShopRiteFlowers.com brand and does the same for Costco.

ShopRite operating companies (abridged)

ShopRite Operating Companies  

• Bill's Supermarkets – Operates two stores in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania and Moscow, Pennsylvania.

• Bottino's Supermarkets – Operates four stores; one in Washington Township, New Jersey, one in Vineland, New Jersey, one in Upper Deerfield, New Jersey and one in Millville, New Jersey.

• Brookdale ShopRite Inc. – Operates a store in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

• Browns Super Store Inc. (Headquartered in Bellmawr, New Jersey) – Operates approximately 10 stores in the Philadelphia area.

• Buonadonna ShopRite – 2 (Bay Shore and West Babylon, Long Island).

• Colalillo ShopRite (Headquartered in Flemington, New Jersey) – Operates three stores including Flemington, New Jersey, Clinton, New Jersey and Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

• Collins Family Markets – 4 (operates two stores in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; one store in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, and in Glen Burnie, Maryland)

• Delaware Supermarkets, Inc. (Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware) – 5 (3 in Wilmington; 1 in Newark, Delaware). In 2011, its newest store opened in Bear, Delaware.

• The Drust Family – Operates two stores; in Wallingford, Connecticut (moved from Meriden in June 2010) and Southington, Connecticut.

• Eickhoff Supermarkets – Operates five southern New Jersey stores: Delran, Hainesport, Willingboro, Mount Laurel, and Cinnaminson.

• Five Star Supermarkets – Operates three stores; one in New London, Connecticut, one in Norwich, Connecticut, and one in Clinton, Connecticut.

• Food Parade/Greenfield's ShopRite (Headquartered in Plainview, New York) – 2 on Long Island: Plainview and Commack.

• Glass Gardens (Headquartered in Rochelle Park, New Jersey) – Operates 9 stores: Rochelle Park, New Jersey, Paramus, New Jersey, Englewood, New Jersey, Wharton, New Jersey, Linden, New Jersey, Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Rockaway, New Jersey; Brooklyn and Pearl River, New York.

• Grade A Supermarkets (Headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut) – Operates 9 stores in: Norwalk, Connecticut, Stamford, Connecticut (four stores), Brookfield, Connecticut, Southbury, Connecticut, Shelton, Connecticut, Derby, Connecticut, and soon to open in Fairfield, Connecticut.

• Inserra Supermarkets (Headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey) – 19 stores: Lyndhurst, New Jersey, Hackensack, New Jersey, Lodi, New Jersey, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, Jersey City, New Jersey, Paramus, New Jersey, Ramsey, New Jersey, Emerson, New Jersey, Hillsdale, New Jersey, New Milford, New Jersey, Northvale, New Jersey, Wayne, New Jersey, West Milford, New Jersey, Hoboken, New Jersey, Bayonne, New Jersey, North Bergen, New Jersey, Palisades Park, New Jersey; Spring Valley and West Nyack, New York.

• Janson Supermarkets – 2 stores: Happauge and Patchogue, Long Island.

• Kinsley's Markets – Operates two stores in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

• Klein's Supermarkets – 6 in Harford County, Maryland: 2 in Bel Air; plus Forest Hill, Whiteford, Aberdeen, and Belcamp. Also: 1 in neighboring Baltimore County, in Phoenix, with another planned in the Baltimore area.

• Mannix Family SuperMarkets – 2 on Staten Island, New York.

• Nutley Park ShopRite – Operates a store in Nutley, New Jersey.

• Perlmart Stores (Headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey) – Operates seven stores: Toms River, New Jersey (Fischer Blvd.), Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey, Bayville, New Jersey, Jackson, New Jersey, Manchester, New Jersey, Manahawkin, New Jersey, and Waretown, New Jersey.

• Ronetco Supermarkets (Headquartered in Ledgewood, New Jersey) – Operates 7 stores: Flanders, New Jersey, Netcong, New Jersey, Byram Township, New Jersey, Newton, New Jersey, Franklin, New Jersey, Mansfield, New Jersey, and Succasunna, New Jersey.

• Saker ShopRites/Foodarama (Headquartered in Freehold, New Jersey) – Operates 26 stores including the Superstores dotting central New Jersey. Stores include East Brunswick, Edison, Middletown, Aberdeen, Brick, Lakewood, Bound Brook, Neptune City and Toms River (Route 37).

• Shakoor Supermarkets Inc. (1995-2012) (Headquarted in Old Bridge, New Jersey) – Operated one store in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Recently sold to Village Super Markets

• ShopRite of Glen Burnie – Glen Burnie, Maryland.

• ShopRite of Oakland, Inc. – Operates one store in Oakland, New Jersey.

• ShopRite of Pennington (Headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey) – Operates approximately 5 stores.

• ShopRite Supermarkets (SRS) (Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey and wholly owned by the Wakefern cooperative) – Operates 27 corporately owned-and-operated ShopRites (including those taken over from Big V Stores): Hamilton, New Jersey (two stores); Montague, New Jersey; Pennington, New Jersey, South Bordentown, New Jersey, Spotswood, New Jersey, and Trenton, New Jersey; Bedford Hills, Carmel, Chester, Croton, Ellenville, Fishkill, Hudson, Kingston, Liberty, Middletown (2), Monroe, Montgomery, Monticello, Scarsdale, White Plains, Newburgh, New Paltz, Peekskill, Thornwood, Vails Gate, Wappengers Falls, Warwick, and Yonkers (2), New York

• Sunrise ShopRite (Headquartered in West Caldwell, New Jersey) – Operates 2 stores including the famous Japanese-inspired ShopRite of West Caldwell, New Jersey and another store in Parsippany, New Jersey.

• Supermarkets of Cherry Hill (Headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey) – Operates five Southern New Jersey stores: Cherry Hill (2 stores), Marlton and Mount Laurel (2 stores).

• The Tornaquindici Family – Operates two stores in Bristol, Connecticut and Waterbury, Connecticut.

• Village Super Markets (NASDAQ: VLGEA) (Headquartered in Springfield, New Jersey) – Operates 24 stores such as: West Orange, New Jersey Garwood, New Jersey, Bernardsville, New Jersey, Springfield, New Jersey, Somers Point, New Jersey, Morris Plains, New Jersey, Chatham, New Jersey, Union, New Jersey, Hillsborough, New Jersey, and Millburn, New Jersey, and Old Bridge, New Jersey. Village is the only operating company in the Wakefern Cooperative that trades its stock publicly.

• Zallie Supermarkets (Headquartered in Clementon, New Jersey) – Operates nine Southern New Jersey stores: Berlin, Clementon, Laurel Hill (Clementon), Medford, Gibbstown, Glassboro, West Deptford, Williamstown, Sicklerville, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

External links

• Official website
• ShopRite (United States) on Twitter
• ShopRite Partners In Caring
• Wakefern Corporation