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Wegmans

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Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Company typePrivate
Family business
IndustryGrocery
Founded1916; 108 years ago (1916)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
FounderJohn Wegman
Walter Wegman
Headquarters
Rochester, New York
,
U.S.
Number of locations
88 stores (2016)[1][2]
Area served
Mid-Atlantic states, New England
Key people
Danny Wegman, Chairman and CEO
Colleen Wegman, President
RevenueIncrease $7 billion (2013)[3][4][5]
OwnerDanny Wegman
Number of employees
58,000+ (2013)
Websitewww.wegmans.com

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held U.S. regional supermarket chain headquartered in Gates, New York, near Rochester.[6][7] Wegmans has 88 stores[1] in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Founded in 1916 in Rochester, Wegmans has appeared on Fortune's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list since the list first appeared in 1998, and has ranked among the top 10 for eight consecutive years.[8] Food Network recognized it with its award for Best Grocery Store in 2007,[9] and Consumer Reports ranked it the top large U.S. grocery chain in 2012[10] and in 2014.[11] It was also profiled as part of "Here Are The Jobs" segment on MSNBC's PoliticsNation on July 6, 2012.[12]

History

Map of Wegmans stores.

Wegmans is a privately owned company, founded in 1916 by John and Walter Wegman as the Rochester Fruit and Vegetable Company. Wegmans is headquartered in the Rochester suburb of Gates. Danny Wegman is CEO. His daughter, Colleen Wegman, is president; his other daughter, Nicole Wegman, is vice-president of restaurant operations. His father, Robert, who died in 2006, was chairman. Robert was the son of co-founder Walter Wegman. During his life, Robert Wegman distinguished himself as a pioneer in the retail food business, as well as a generous donor to educational institutions and other charities.[13][14]

In 1968, the chain expanded beyond the Rochester area, with a store in Syracuse,[15] and again in 1977 with its first Buffalo store.[15] The first store outside New York opened in 1993 in Erie, Pennsylvania[15] and the expansion continued into New Jersey in 1999,[15] Virginia in 2004, and Maryland in 2005.[15][16] As a part of the company's continued expansion efforts, Wegmans opened its fifth Maryland location in Columbia on June 17, 2012.[17] Its sixth Maryland location opened in Crofton on October 28, 2012, followed by a Germantown location on September 15, 2013.[18] Wegmans opened a store at the Montgomery Mall in North Wales, Pennsylvania on November 3, 2013, the first store to be part of a shopping mall since the closing of the Midtown Plaza store in Rochester.[19][20]

Wegmans, having long planned to expand into New England,[21][22] opened their first store in that region in Northborough, Massachusetts on October 16, 2011.[23][24] 2014 saw Wegmans opening two more Massachusetts stores, in Newton on April 27,[25] and in Burlington on October 26.[26] Its fourth Massachusetts store opened in Westwood on October 11, 2015.[27] The Westwood store is the chain's newest; and stores are scheduled to open in: Midlothian, Virginia, in Spring 2016, Short Pump, Virginia in Summer 2016, Owings Mills, Maryland, in late Summer 2016, Charlottesville, Virginia, in Fall 2016, Natick, Massachusetts in 2017, and Hanover Township, New Jersey in 2017, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2018.[28] Seven other locations are currently in the works, including one in Brooklyn, New York, the chain's first location in New York City, with opening dates yet to be determined. Lease negotiations are also under way for a possible store in Cary, North Carolina.[2]

Wegmans currently offers a pick-up service called "Personal Shopping" at its Pittsford location in Rochester, NY, and at its Bridgewater location in Bridgewater, NJ. While there are currently no plans to offer a Home Delivery service, Wegmans has stated "You can be assured that we're always looking for new ways to make Wegmans a great place to shop and save. So it's not to say that we would never again consider home delivery, it's just not planned for the foreseeable future." [29]

On January 30th, 2016, Wegmans celebrated its 100th anniversary. [30]

Operations

A modern Wegmans storefront circa 2010. This Wegmans is in Lanham (a Washington suburb) (referred to as the "Woodmore" store), the second Wegmans in Maryland
Exterior of a typical Wegmans, in the style common in the late 1990s; in Amherst, New York at the "Alberta Drive" location.
A Wegmans store in Manalapan, New Jersey

In 2009, Wegmans ranked number 29 on the Supermarket News list of the Top 75 North American Food Retailers based on sales volume,[31] up from number 32 on the 2007 Supermarket News list,[4] and 7th among privately held U.S. supermarkets.[citation needed] In 2009 Stores Magazine showed it to be the 74th largest retailer in the United States with estimated revenues of $4.67 billion[32] As of 2006, it was the 66th largest privately held company, as determined by Forbes.[33] On Forbes's 2005 list, Wegmans ranked 54th.[34]

Most of Wegmans' newer stores are of the "superstore" or "megamarket" type, with a large area, a variety of foods aimed at an upscale clientele, and in many stores, Market Café in-store dining areas. Wegmans used to own and operate Tastings, a restaurant at its Pittsford, New York, store that offered patrons three distinct eating areas.[citation needed] Tastings has closed, replaced with The Food Bar, a 'seafood shack'-styled restaurant in the same space, and is now The Burger Bar, which serves hamburgers. Next Door Bar and Grill, a stand-alone restaurant operated by Wegmans, opened across the street from the Pittsford store.

In January 2007, Wegmans announced two business ventures: (1) opening a 19,000 sq ft (1,800 m2) liquor store in Pittsford (adding to its two existing wine centers, in Virginia and New Jersey); and (2) the creation of a $28 million "Culinary Innovation Center" (in Chili, New York), a corporate research and development facility that will house a new central kitchen (replacing some of the operations at its meat center).[35] The liquor store opened in April 2008 as Century Pittsford Wines. It is not owned by the company, but independently owned directly by a member of the Wegman family due to New York liquor laws. The store is 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2).[36][37] This business model has been replicated at three other New York Wegmans locations in Buffalo, DeWitt and Johnson City. Ownership of each liquor store is held by different members of the Wegman family due to New York State regulations prohibiting individuals from owning multiple liquor stores.[38]

In November 2010, Walgreens filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Wegmans, claiming the "W" in the Wegman's logo is too similar to Walgreens'.[39] The lawsuit was settled in April 2011, with Wegmans agreeing to discontinue use of its "W" logo by June 2012, although the supermarket retains the right to use the “Wegmans” name in script.[40] According to Jo Natale, Wegmans director of media relations, “The cost of making relatively minor changes to a limited number of products was much less than the cost of litigating this case to the end.”[41]

Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden Centers

Wegmans was the parent company of Chase-Pitkin, a regional home improvement retailer. On October 4, 2005, Wegmans announced that it would close all Chase-Pitkin stores by early 2006[42] and focus on its supermarket operations. The decision to exit the home improvement business was reportedly due to the increasing dominance of national chains such as Lowe's and The Home Depot.[42] Chase-Pitkin stores closed individually at various points throughout March 2006.

Tobacco products

In January 2008, Wegmans announced that it would no longer sell tobacco products[43] and would offer smoking cessation programs to all employees.[44] The decision drew praise from the American Lung Association of New York State, who presented Wegmans with the "Lung Champion Award".[44]

Wegmans brand

Wegmans began branding its products in 1979, offering basic commodities with a lower price than the national brands. The "Wegmans" brand has gradually expanded. In 1992, it began a line of health products, "Food You Feel Good About." The next sub-brand to be launched was "Italian Classics." In 1995, Wegmans introduced its imported pastas, canned tomatoes, and olive oils. Many of the products are from Italy. In 2002, Wegmans launched a line of organic products. Wegmans "six dollar meals" are now one of its most popular items in the prepared foods section.

The Wegmans brand has been used extensively in the American sitcom The Office; the program is set in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which does, in fact, have a Wegmans store, despite being filmed in suburban Los Angeles.[45][46]

References

  1. ^ a b "Store Locator". Gates, New York: Wegmans. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b The News & Observer, Wegmans seeks to open first NC grocery store near Cary Towne Center by Ethan Hyman, January 19, 2016, Retrieved Jan. 20, 2016.
  3. ^ Company profile from Hoover's
  4. ^ a b 2007 Top 75 North American Food Retailers
  5. ^ Company Overview
  6. ^ "Gates town, Monroe County, New York." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 20, 2011.
  7. ^ "Contact Us." Wegmans Food Markets. Retrieved on January 20, 2011. "Wegmans Food Markets 1500 Brooks Avenue PO Box 30844 Rochester, NY 14603-0844 ."
  8. ^ Perry, Kate (January 22, 2009). "Wegmans, Paychex make Fortune list of best employers". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 22, 2009.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ "And the Winner is Wegmans!" (Press release). Wegmans. April 16, 2007. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  10. ^ Herbert, Geoff. "Wegmans named best supermarket by Consumer Reports; Walmart one of the worst". The Post-Standard. Syracuse.com. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  11. ^ Deutsch, Lindsay. "Wegmans Tops Supermarket Survey; Wal-Mart Ranks Last". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  12. ^ 'Here are the jobs' from MSNBC (July 6, 2012)
  13. ^ "Robert Wegman: Innovation and Integrity". StoreBrandsReviewed. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  14. ^ "Robert Wegman, 87, Leader in Supermarket Innovations, Dies". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 22, 2006.
  15. ^ a b c d e "History". Wegmans. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  16. ^ "Wegmans Company Overview".
  17. ^ http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2012/06/17/new-wegmans-opens-in-columbia/
  18. ^ http://newstores.wegmans.com/
  19. ^ DeBree, Crissa Shoemaker (November 17, 2011). "Wegmans' Montgomeryville store the chain's first at a mall". The Intelligencer. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  20. ^ Connor, Jennifer (November 3, 2013). "Montgomery Mall's Wegmans store opens big". The Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  21. ^ "Westwood OKs liquor license for proposed Wegmans". The Patriot Ledger. May 7, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  22. ^ Abby Jordan (January 27, 2009). "The Loop in Northborough in the market for a Wegmans". The MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  23. ^ Uek, Kathy (October 17, 2011). "Opening of Northborough Wegmans is a grand affair". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  24. ^ Bradley, Michelle. "Wegmans Manager Humbled by Record-Breaking Opening". The Northborough Daily Voice. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  25. ^ Rknepper, Rknepper (April 27, 2014). "Chestnut Hill Wegmans Opens". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  26. ^ Abelson, Jen (June 4, 2011). "Wegmans to build store near Burlington Mall". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  27. ^ "Westwood falling in love with its new Wegmans". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  28. ^ Mekeel, Tim (October 18, 2015). "It's true: Wegmans is coming to Lancaster, picks site near Long's Park". LancasterOnline.com. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  29. ^ https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FAQDetailView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&faqCategory=ShoppingList#question_1
  30. ^ "Wegmans celebrates 100 years in business". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  31. ^ "SN's Top 75 Retailers for 2009". Supermarket News. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  32. ^ "Stores Top 100 Retailers" (PDF). Stores.org. July 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  33. ^ "#66 Wegmans Food Markets". Forbes. November 9, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  34. ^ "America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes. November 11, 2005. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  35. ^ Rand, Ben (January 6, 2007). "Wegmans embarks on 2 local projects". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 6, 2007.[dead link‍]
  36. ^ "Pittsford Plaza – Century Pittsford Wines run independently of Wegmans". Archived from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Rundown of New York State liquor laws prohibiting wine and liquor sales in grocery stores". Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  38. ^ "Opening soon in Wegmans parking lot: Amherst St. Wine & Liquor".
  39. ^ "Walgreens sues Wegmans in logo dispute". The Wall Street Journal. November 6, 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ Richard Patterson (April 27, 2011). "Wegmans Settles with Walgreens over War of W's". Intellectual Property Brief. American University. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  41. ^ "Press Release: Wegmans Releases Statement on Lawsuit Resolution". Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  42. ^ a b "Wegmans to close all Chase-Pitkins". auburnpub.com. October 5, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  43. ^ James Fink (January 4, 2008). "Wegmans ceasing tobacco sales". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  44. ^ a b "Wegmans, DeCicco Markets Ditch Cigarettes". consumeraffairs.com. June 2, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  45. ^ Fien, Christine Carrie (March 7, 2007). "TV SCENE: Wegmans checks in at 'The Office'". City Newspaper. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  46. ^ "Wegmans Locator Detail for Scranton, PA". Wegmans. Retrieved April 12, 2008.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wegmans&oldid=704879005"