Piggly Wiggly: Difference between revisions
←Replaced content with 'piggly wiggly is a school' Tag: possible vandalism |
ClueBot NG (talk | contribs) m Reverting possible vandalism by 173.23.76.139 to version by Loriendrew. False positive? Report it. Thanks, ClueBot NG. (1722747) (Bot) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Infobox company |
|||
piggly wiggly is a school |
|||
| name = Piggly Wiggly |
|||
| type = Private |
|||
| location = [[Keene, New Hampshire]] |
|||
| logo = [[Image:Pigglywiggly.png|200px|Piggly Wiggly logo]] |
|||
| slogan = Down Home, Down the Street |
|||
| foundation = [[Memphis, Tennessee]], [[United States|U.S.]] (1916) |
|||
| location = [[Keene, New Hampshire]], [[United States|U.S.]] |
|||
| area_served = Midwestern/Southern U.S. |
|||
| industry = Supermarket chain |
|||
| parent = [[C&S Wholesale Grocers]] |
|||
| homepage = [http://www.pigglywiggly.com/ pigglywiggly.com] |
|||
}} |
|||
'''Piggly Wiggly''' is a [[supermarket]] chain operating in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] and [[Southern United States|Southern]] regions of the United States, run by '''Piggly Wiggly, LLC''', an affiliate of [[C&S Wholesale Grocers]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Fleischauer |work=Decatur Daily |title=2 Decatur Piggly Wigglys to become Food World stores |url=http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/46819.html |date=November 3, 2009}}</ref> The current company headquarters is in [[Keene, New Hampshire|Keene]], [[New Hampshire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pigglywiggly.com/about-us|title= Where It Began...|accessdate=21 November 2008 |work= PigglyWiggly.com|publisher= Piggly Wiggly LLC|date= }}</ref> Currently, more than 600 independently owned Piggly Wiggly stores operate in 17 states, primarily in smaller cities and towns. |
|||
[[File:Piggly Wiggly Operations in the US.jpg|thumb|346px|Piggly Wiggly Operations in the United States as of 2013 (States highlighted in red)]] |
|||
==History== |
|||
[[Image:Piggly Wiggly 060522.jpg|thumb|Historical marker near the site of the first Piggly Wiggly store in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]].]]Piggly Wiggly was the first true [[Self service|self-service]] [[grocery store]].<ref>{{cite web | title =See you at the Piggly Wiggly | publisher =Pink Palace Family of Museums | url =http://www.memphismuseums.org/piggly%20wiggly.htm | accessdate =2007-10-22 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071014204543/http://memphismuseums.org/piggly+wiggly.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-10-14}}</ref> It was founded on September 6, 1916, at 79 Jefferson Avenue in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]], by [[Clarence Saunders (grocer)|Clarence Saunders]]. A replica of the original store has been constructed in the Memphis [[Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium]], a mansion that Saunders built as his private residence, and was later sold to the city. |
|||
Piggly Wiggly Corporation secured the self-service format and issued [[franchising|franchises]] to hundreds of grocery retailers for the operation of its stores. The concept of the "self-serving store" was patented<ref name="patent">{{US patent reference|number=1242872|title=Self-serving store|inventor=C. Saunders|y=1917|m=10|d=09}}</ref> by Saunders in 1917. Customers at Piggly Wiggly entered the store through a [[turnstile]] and walked through four aisles to view the store’s 605 items sold in packages and organized into departments. The customers selected merchandise as they continued through the maze to the [[cashier]]. Instantly, [[packaging and labeling|packaging]] and [[brand]] recognition became important to companies and consumers. |
|||
[[File:Piggly-wiggly.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|The original Piggly Wiggly Store, Memphis, Tennessee]] |
|||
Piggly Wiggly was the first to: |
|||
*provide checkout stands.<ref name="Modern Marvels"/> |
|||
*price mark every item in the store.<ref name="Modern Marvels">"[[Modern Marvels]]: The Supermarket". History Channel, first broadcast November 15, 2006.</ref> |
|||
*provide shopping carts for customers, starting in the year 1937 in Oklahoma.<ref name="Harvard Business Review Blog Network">http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/shopping_carts_will_track_cons.html</ref><!--Sylvan Goldman did own Piggly Wiggly stores, but did not invent cart until after leaving company.--> |
|||
The success of Piggly Wiggly was phenomenal, so much so that other independent and chain grocery stores changed to self-service in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak in 1932 (see [[Clarence Saunders (grocer)|Clarence Saunders]]), the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million. In November 1922, Saunders attempted a squeeze on the substantial short interest in the stock, running the [[share (finance)|share]] price up from 40 to 120 and profiting by millions on paper. The Stock Exchange Governors responded by deciding that a [[Cornering the market|corner]] had been established in Piggly Wiggly and removed the stock from the Board eventually forcing Saunders to turn over his assets to the banks that had financed his leveraged position. Saunders reputedly lost nine million dollars in the attempted corner.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,880518,00.html | work=Time | title=Business & Finance: Piggly Wiggly Man | date=1929-02-25 | accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> |
|||
Following these events, the company was divided into strategic units and sold to regional grocery chains, including [[Kroger]], [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]], [[National Tea]], and [[Colonial]].<ref>Lebhar, Godfrey M. (1959) ''Chain Stores in America 1859-1959'', Colonial Press: 31.</ref> In 1935 all 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly were also sold to Canada Safeway, which merged with [[Sobeys]] in 2013.{{cn|date = February 2014}} |
|||
After losing control of Piggly Wiggly, Saunders had no further association with the company although he remained interested in the concept of automated shopping which he experimented with initially with the [[Keedoozle]] store until his death in 1953.<ref name="Piggly Wiggly: About Us">{{cite web | title =Piggly Wiggly: About Us | publisher =Piggly Wiggly LLC | url =http://www.pigglywiggly.com/cgi-bin/customize?aboutus.html | accessdate =2007-10-22 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070929165051/http://www.pigglywiggly.com/cgi-bin/customize?aboutus.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-09-29}}</ref> |
|||
The smaller Piggly Wiggly Corporation continued to prosper as franchiser for the hundreds of independently owned grocery stores licensed to do business under the Piggly Wiggly name. During the decades following the 1920s divestment, the company has operated successfully under a variety of owners. |
|||
Management of the [[Toyota|Toyota Corporation]] were inspired by Piggly Wiggly's [[Just-in-time (business)|Just-in-time]] inventory strategy and used this model to develop its [[Toyota Production System|Toyota Production System (TPS)]], a philosophy by which the company organizes its manufacturing and logistics, including its interactions with suppliers and customers.<ref name="Magee2007">{{Citation |
|||
| last = Magee | first = David |
|||
|date=November 2007 |
|||
| title = How Toyota Became #1 - Leadership Lessons from the World's Greatest Car Company |
|||
| isbn = 978-1-59184-179-1 |
|||
| publisher = Portfolio Hardcover |
|||
}}</ref> |
|||
==Present company== |
|||
[[Fleming Companies]] bought Benson Wholesale, the owner of the Piggly Wiggly name, in 1978.<ref>{{cite news |title= Food Chains Bought by Fleming |author= |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19740312&id=k0g0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=32YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2855,5235376 |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |date=March 12, 1974 |accessdate=October 5, 2011}}</ref> Fleming filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and [[C&S Wholesale Grocers]] acquired most of the business, including Piggly Wiggly.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Hamstra |first1=Mark |last2= |first2= |year= 2003 |title= C&S Only Bidder for Fleming Assets, Some Resale Expected|journal=Supermarket News |volume= |issue= |pages= |publisher= |doi= |url=http://subscribers.supermarketnews.com/mag/cs_bidder_fleming/ |accessdate= }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zwiebach |first1=Elliot |year=2003 |title=Wholesaler Exchange Boosts Both Operations |journal= Supermarket News |volume= |issue= |pages= |publisher= |doi= |url=http://subscribers.supermarketnews.com/mag/wholesaler_exchange_boosts/index.html |accessdate= }}</ref> |
|||
[[Image:Piggly Wiggly.jpg|thumb|300px|A Piggly Wiggly store in [[Owasso, Oklahoma]] in 2006]] |
|||
There are presently more than 600 independently owned and operated stores in 17 states. The company headquarters are located in [[Keene, New Hampshire|Keene]], [[New Hampshire]].<ref name="Piggly Wiggly: About Us"/> |
|||
Some of the stores have formed a [[retailers' cooperative]] to manage distribution, while using the Piggly Wiggly name (e.g., [http://www.shopthepig.com/ Piggly Wiggly Midwest], [http://www.pwadc.com/rpms/ Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Company], and [[Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co.]]). Piggly Wiggly stores are found predominantly in medium to smaller size cities, and remain a fixture in many rural communities. In many of the larger cities and more [[metropolitan area]]s within the company's territory (especially in the faster growing regions), competitive national grocery chains have built larger supermarkets with greater variety and selection than Piggly Wiggly, targeting a more [[upmarket|upscale]] clientele. In response, Piggly Wiggly has developed a [[loyalty program|loyalty card]] discount membership program similar to many other national merchants. |
|||
==See also== |
|||
* [[Supermarkets in the United States]] |
|||
* [[Houchens Industries]] |
|||
* [[Toyota Production System]] |
|||
==References== |
|||
{{Reflist|50em}} |
|||
==External links== |
|||
{{Commons category}} |
|||
* [http://www.pigglywiggly.com/ Official website] |
|||
* [http://www.pigglywigglystores.com North Carolina Stores] |
|||
* [http://www.memphismuseums.org/piggly%20wiggly.htm Pink Palace Museum exhibit] |
|||
* [http://www.shopthepig.com/ Piggly Wiggly Midwest, home page (Piggly Wiggly franchisee in Wisconsin and Illinois; based in [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin|Sheboygan]], [[Wisconsin]])] |
|||
{{Supermarkets of the United States}} |
|||
[[Category:History of Memphis, Tennessee]] |
|||
[[Category:Companies based in Cheshire County, New Hampshire]] |
|||
[[Category:Supermarkets of the United States]] |
|||
[[Category:Economy of the Midwestern United States]] |
|||
[[Category:Economy of the Southeastern United States]] |
|||
[[Category:Companies established in 1916]] |
|||
[[Category:Franchises]] |
|||
[[Category:Fictional pigs]] |
|||
Revision as of 23:06, 27 February 2014
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Supermarket chain |
| Founded | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. (1916) |
| Headquarters | Keene, New Hampshire, U.S. |
Area served | Midwestern/Southern U.S. |
| Parent | C&S Wholesale Grocers |
| Website | pigglywiggly.com |
Piggly Wiggly is a supermarket chain operating in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers.[1] The current company headquarters is in Keene, New Hampshire.[2] Currently, more than 600 independently owned Piggly Wiggly stores operate in 17 states, primarily in smaller cities and towns.
History
Piggly Wiggly was the first true self-service grocery store.[3] It was founded on September 6, 1916, at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, by Clarence Saunders. A replica of the original store has been constructed in the Memphis Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium, a mansion that Saunders built as his private residence, and was later sold to the city.
Piggly Wiggly Corporation secured the self-service format and issued franchises to hundreds of grocery retailers for the operation of its stores. The concept of the "self-serving store" was patented[4] by Saunders in 1917. Customers at Piggly Wiggly entered the store through a turnstile and walked through four aisles to view the store’s 605 items sold in packages and organized into departments. The customers selected merchandise as they continued through the maze to the cashier. Instantly, packaging and brand recognition became important to companies and consumers.
Piggly Wiggly was the first to:
- provide checkout stands.[5]
- price mark every item in the store.[5]
- provide shopping carts for customers, starting in the year 1937 in Oklahoma.[6]
The success of Piggly Wiggly was phenomenal, so much so that other independent and chain grocery stores changed to self-service in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak in 1932 (see Clarence Saunders), the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million. In November 1922, Saunders attempted a squeeze on the substantial short interest in the stock, running the share price up from 40 to 120 and profiting by millions on paper. The Stock Exchange Governors responded by deciding that a corner had been established in Piggly Wiggly and removed the stock from the Board eventually forcing Saunders to turn over his assets to the banks that had financed his leveraged position. Saunders reputedly lost nine million dollars in the attempted corner.[7]
Following these events, the company was divided into strategic units and sold to regional grocery chains, including Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial.[8] In 1935 all 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly were also sold to Canada Safeway, which merged with Sobeys in 2013.[citation needed]
After losing control of Piggly Wiggly, Saunders had no further association with the company although he remained interested in the concept of automated shopping which he experimented with initially with the Keedoozle store until his death in 1953.[9]
The smaller Piggly Wiggly Corporation continued to prosper as franchiser for the hundreds of independently owned grocery stores licensed to do business under the Piggly Wiggly name. During the decades following the 1920s divestment, the company has operated successfully under a variety of owners.
Management of the Toyota Corporation were inspired by Piggly Wiggly's Just-in-time inventory strategy and used this model to develop its Toyota Production System (TPS), a philosophy by which the company organizes its manufacturing and logistics, including its interactions with suppliers and customers.[10]
Present company
Fleming Companies bought Benson Wholesale, the owner of the Piggly Wiggly name, in 1978.[11] Fleming filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and C&S Wholesale Grocers acquired most of the business, including Piggly Wiggly.[12][13]
There are presently more than 600 independently owned and operated stores in 17 states. The company headquarters are located in Keene, New Hampshire.[9] Some of the stores have formed a retailers' cooperative to manage distribution, while using the Piggly Wiggly name (e.g., Piggly Wiggly Midwest, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Company, and Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co.). Piggly Wiggly stores are found predominantly in medium to smaller size cities, and remain a fixture in many rural communities. In many of the larger cities and more metropolitan areas within the company's territory (especially in the faster growing regions), competitive national grocery chains have built larger supermarkets with greater variety and selection than Piggly Wiggly, targeting a more upscale clientele. In response, Piggly Wiggly has developed a loyalty card discount membership program similar to many other national merchants.
See also
References
- ^ Fleischauer, Eric (November 3, 2009). "2 Decatur Piggly Wigglys to become Food World stores". Decatur Daily.
- ^ "Where It Began..." PigglyWiggly.com. Piggly Wiggly LLC. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
- ^ "See you at the Piggly Wiggly". Pink Palace Family of Museums. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ US patent 1242872, C. Saunders, "Self-serving store", issued 1917-10-09
- ^ a b "Modern Marvels: The Supermarket". History Channel, first broadcast November 15, 2006.
- ^ http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/shopping_carts_will_track_cons.html
- ^ "Business & Finance: Piggly Wiggly Man". Time. 1929-02-25. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Lebhar, Godfrey M. (1959) Chain Stores in America 1859-1959, Colonial Press: 31.
- ^ a b "Piggly Wiggly: About Us". Piggly Wiggly LLC. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ Magee, David (November 2007), How Toyota Became #1 - Leadership Lessons from the World's Greatest Car Company, Portfolio Hardcover, ISBN 978-1-59184-179-1
- ^ "Food Chains Bought by Fleming". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 12, 1974. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ Hamstra, Mark (2003). "C&S Only Bidder for Fleming Assets, Some Resale Expected". Supermarket News.
- ^ Zwiebach, Elliot (2003). "Wholesaler Exchange Boosts Both Operations". Supermarket News.
External links
