COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 5141

Groceries, General Lines

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

34companies1854–1994founding years34still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedPenn Traffic Company
1854
FoundedSmart & Final, Inc.
1871
FoundedInternational Multifoods Corporation
1892
FoundedHannaford Bros. Co.
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Clorox Company
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedSavannah Foods & Industries, Inc.
1916
FoundedWhite Rose, Inc.
1920
FoundedHain Food Group, Inc.
1926
FoundedMeijer Incorporated
1934
FoundedGoya Foods Inc.
1936
FoundedRichfood Holdings, Inc.
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedKesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy)
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedJitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSuper Food Services, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedGrupo Industrial Bimbo
1965
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSun-Diamond Growers of California
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRiviana Foods Inc.
1986
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedPriceCostco, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Penn Traffic Company →
Active · founded 1854
Penn Traffic Company is one of the leading food retailers in the eastern United States.
Smart & Final, Inc. →
Active · founded 1871
Smart & Final, Inc.
The Boots Company PLC →
Active · founded 1883 · United Kingdom
The Boots Company PLC is one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, in addition to being a major manufacturer…
International Multifoods Corporation →
Active · founded 1892
International Multifoods Corporation was once known as one of the "Big Three" in U.S.
Castle & Cooke, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Castle & Cooke, Inc.
Hannaford Bros. Co. →
Active · founded 1902
Hannaford Bros.
Schultz Sav-O Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1911
Schultz Sav-O Stores, Inc.
The Clorox Company →
Active · founded 1913
Although best known for the household bleach that bears the firm's name, The Clorox Company is a diversified…
Fleming Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
Fleming Companies, Inc.
Savannah Foods & Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Savannah Foods & Industries, Inc.
Di Giorgio Corp. →
Active · founded 1920
Once a vast fruit-growing empire that owned almost 50 square miles of California and Florida farmland, the Di Giorgio…
White Rose, Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
White Rose, Inc.
Land O'Lakes, Inc. →
Active · founded 1921
Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Hain Food Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Hain Food Group, Inc.
The Golub Corporation →
Active · founded 1932
"Successful, innovative, and civic-minded" are terms that describe well The Golub Corporation of Schenectady, New York.
Meijer Incorporated →
Active · founded 1934
Meijer Incorporated, according to Forbes magazine,"is one of the 15 largest growing private companies" in the United…
Associated British Foods plc →
Active · founded 1935 · United Kingdom
With high-ranking positions in several categories of foodstuffs, Associated British Foods plc (ABF) stands as one of…
Goya Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1936
With almost 1,000 items on sale, Goya Foods Inc.
Richfood Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1937
Richfood Holdings, Inc.
Roland Murten A.G. →
Active · founded 1938 · Switzerland
As the manufacturer of Zwieback and brand name pains croustillants, Roland Murten is a household name throughout…
Kesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy) →
Active · founded 1940 · Finland
The largest trading company in Finland, Kesko Ltd.
Bozzuto's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Bozzuto's, Inc.
Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Jitney-Jungle Stores of America, Inc., one of the largest, privately owned grocery chains in the nation, operates in…
Bridgford Foods Corporation →
Active · founded 1952
Bridgford Foods Corporation manufactures and distributes frozen, refrigerated, and snack food products for both retail…
Super Food Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Although its operations were limited to six midwestern states, Super Food Services Inc.
McLane Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
McLane Company, Inc., is one of the largest wholesale distribution companies in the United States.
Grupo Industrial Bimbo →
Active · founded 1965 · Mexico
Mexico's biggest baker and food company, Grupo Industrial Bimbo, is a Mexican multinational conglomerate that derives…
SYSCO Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
SYSCO Corporation (an acronym for Systems and Services Company) is the largest marketer and distributor of foodservice…
Sun-Diamond Growers of California →
Active · founded 1980
Sun-Diamond Growers of California is one of the largest specialty commodity producers in the world.
American Italian Pasta Company →
Active · founded 1986
The second largest pasta producer in North America, American Italian Pasta Company (APIC) produces more than 80 dry…
Riviana Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Riviana Foods Inc.
Riser Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Riser Foods, Inc., a holding company, controls northeast Ohio's largest grocery chain.
PriceCostco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
The merger of The Price Company and Costco Wholesale Corporation in 1993 created the nation's second largest membership…
U.S. Office Products Company →
Active · founded 1994
Starting from scratch in 1994, U.S.
Build It Today

Starting a groceries, general lines company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.