Joel AlbrizioComment

A Legacy Retailer King Kullen Sells...

Joel AlbrizioComment
A Legacy Retailer King Kullen Sells...

Written By: Joel Albrizio - President, Bad-Adz Digital

The Retail Supermarket Industry Is A Tough Road Often Ending In A Sale!

King Kullen, recognized by the Smithsonian Institute as America's First Supermarket will now be sold to Ahold, known locally at the retail level as Stop & Shop Supermarkets.

King Kullen founded in 1930 by Micheal Kullen had become a staple in the New York retail supermarket industry. King Kullen introduced the full service, diversified retail food marketplace to what would become the modern supermarket industry.

As retailers like King Kullen wind down locations and sales growth so many will look and will discuss what went wrong. Why didn't King Kullen do so many different things. They should have and could have done so many things.

So many will forget King Kullen innovated and grew in a tough industry for almost 90 years. An industry King Kullen created and thrived within for so long.

This month it was announced King Kullen would sell the remaining 32 retail locations to Ahold. We believe in one of the most difficult industries for a company to innovate and thrive for this long much can be learned from King Kullen.

King Kullen created departments as we know them today and expanded and experimented with these departments to build at its peak +-$800 million in sales. Opening locations and expanding, it seemed for so long King Kullen did everything right.

It seems clear that the powers to be at King Kullen felt today's valuation by Ahold held more promise than looking ahead at increased competition and what the coming years might hold in return for the continued retail food battleground.

Kudos to King Kullen and its employees. What a legacy to have been a part of. 

In looking forward to the independent marketplace....

Retail Supermarket Acquisitions Raise Concern For The Independent Grocer

The sale of King Kullen, Best Markets and Olean Wholesale Grocery by themselves seem somewhat benign. Big deal, three longstanding independent oriented companies sell rather than deal with all of the obstacles of retail food in the coming months and years.

However the sale of these companies are quietly significant. These three acquisitions alter the supermarket ecosystem of balanced shopping opportunities for the consumer. 

Best Markets sold to Lidl, King Kullen sold to Ahold & Olean Wholesale Grocery sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

Simply put the consumer, when faced with less shopping alternatives will likely pay more for staple items necessary for daily meals. Without the independent grocer and in Olean's case the smaller grocery wholesaler, less retail and wholesale food sources are available.

Any time in any business environment when we witness less retail shopping alternatives the consumer ultimately pays more for the food they will purchase.

In Upstate New York, Olean Wholesale Grocers was purchased by C&S Wholesale Grocers. C&S Wholesale Grocers is a major player in the grocery wholesale industry throughout the United States.

Hopefully in 2019 and forward, new retail opportunities will present themselves for the independent grocer.

Many have asked why I choose to write about what I see in the supermarket industry today and my ideas. At Bad-Adz Digital, PreparedFoodPhotos.com & Adlife we believe great ideas and the resulting branding will give new life and direction to any company. So for that reason we chose to open the discussion.

Yes, I understand I probably misspelled something or butchered the English language in a few places, the goal however was to open your minds to new ideas. 

Joel Albrizio - Bad-Adz Digital, Bad-AdzVideos.com PreparedFoodPhotos.com, Adlife

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