Star Market
Encyclopedia
Star Market was a New England
chain of supermarkets owned by the Mugar family
and based in Greater Boston
. The company was sold to The Jewel Companies, Inc. in 1964, and was later sold to Investcorp
, which sold the chain to Shaw's Supermarkets
. Today, the Star Market name is used along with Shaw's.
immigrant who had arrived in Greater Boston in 1906, paid $800.00 for the Star Market, a small grocery store, at 28 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown
. His son, Stephen P. Mugar
, (1901–1984), eventually went to work for him in the store. In 1922, Sarkis Mugar was killed in an automoble accident, leaving his son to take over the Star Market to support his mother, himself, and his sisters. His hard work, determination and concern for his customers enabled the store to prosper. In the early 1930s he hired his young first cousin, John M. Mugar
, and encouraged him to further his education at Tufts
, where John went on to graduate magna cum laude in 1937 and serve as a Trustee from 1966-1989.
.
Star Market opened in 1948 and was the Mugar's first supermarket. It was the prototype of the other modern supermarkets that they opened during this period. Meats and produce were packaged in cellophane wrappers to make them more appealing to consumers. A conveyor belt carried bags of groceries to a central pickup station by the parking lot. Customers tired of no self service at stores such as A&P or self service but little else at First National Stores
came from miles around to patronize the new Star Market.
John M. Mugar later followed Stephen as President and Chairman of the chain.
, a popular ice cream shop in New England. In 1964, the Star Market Company was acquired by Chicago, Illinois-based The Jewel Companies, Inc., which chose not only to retain the original name and identity of Star Market, but also John M. Mugar as President and later Chairman. John Mugar stayed on as Chairman until 1978. While Jewel owned Star Market, it built many combination food-drug stores that it branded as Star-Osco, with common checkstands but separate management teams. Jewel also combined Star Market with Turn Style
to form Turn Style/Star Market Family Centers, which included a Star Market, an Osco Drug
, a Turn Style, and a Brigham's Ice Cream Shop.
in 1984, the Star-Osco stores were re-badged as Star Market, and placed under a single management team. After the Jewel acquisition, American Stores had debt to pay off. In order to pay of this debt, American Stores chose to sell its stores that did not earn as much money as the others did. American Stores decided to sell Buttrey Food & Drug
and Star Market. American Stores found a buyer for Star Market, and was sold to Investcorp
in 1994. The Star Market-Osco Drug connection was ended for a time. This particular sale was led by Henry Nasella, the former President of Star Market who previously spent 6 years as President and COO of Staples, before returning to Star. After the purchase by Investcorp, Nasella served as the Chairman and CEO of Star Market, and expanded the supermarket chain to include specialty brands through Wild Harvest. In 1999, Investcorp sold Star Market to Sainsbury's for $490 million. Sainsbury's merged the chain with Shaw's Supermarkets
to form Shaw's-Star Market.
In 2004, Albertsons, Inc. bought Sainsbury's American supermarket assets, including Star Market. When that happened, Star Market and Osco Drug were reunited under one corporate umbrella. On June 2, 2006, a partnership of SuperValu
, CVS Corporation
, and several investment firms including Cerberus Capital acquired Albertsons with the intent to divy up the parts. SuperValu
received Shaw's and Star Market.
In 2008, Shaw's announced that their Boston area stores were reverting to the Star Market name due to local history. On August 22, 2008, the former Shaw's at 1065 Commonwealth Avenue in Allston had its official grand re-opening as a Star Market, over eight years after its name had been changed from Star Market to Shaw's. The Brighton Mills store on Western Ave and Auburndale store on Commonwealth Avenue were also re-opened as Star Markets in July 2008 as well as a new store in Chestnut Hill. In 2009, the Star Market on Beacon Street in Somerville reopened too.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
chain of supermarkets owned by the Mugar family
Mugar family
The Mugar family of Greater Boston, Massachusetts, is a prominent Armenian-American family in New England business and in philanthropy, both in the United States and in Armenia. The best known member of the family is Stephen P. Mugar, , who founded the Star Market chain of super markets on which...
and based in Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
. The company was sold to The Jewel Companies, Inc. in 1964, and was later sold to Investcorp
Investcorp
Investcorp is a manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. Its principal client base is in the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council, but it also has institutional clients in North America and Europe...
, which sold the chain to Shaw's Supermarkets
Shaw's Supermarkets
Shaw's, along with companion store Star Market, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based SuperValu. Together, Shaw's and Star Market comprise the third-largest grocery chain headquartered in New England; behind Stop & Shop and Hannaford, although Shaw’s is the largest grocery...
. Today, the Star Market name is used along with Shaw's.
Beginning
In 1918, Sarkis Mugar, an ArmenianArmenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
immigrant who had arrived in Greater Boston in 1906, paid $800.00 for the Star Market, a small grocery store, at 28 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
. His son, Stephen P. Mugar
Stephen P. Mugar
Stephen P. Mugar, 1901-1982, founder of the Star Market chain of supermarkets in New England, philanthropist and most prominent member of the Mugar family of Greater Boston, was born March 5, 1901, in Kharpert in the former Ottoman Empire now Turkey, of Armenian parents and died October 16, 1982,...
, (1901–1984), eventually went to work for him in the store. In 1922, Sarkis Mugar was killed in an automoble accident, leaving his son to take over the Star Market to support his mother, himself, and his sisters. His hard work, determination and concern for his customers enabled the store to prosper. In the early 1930s he hired his young first cousin, John M. Mugar
John M. Mugar
John M. Mugar president and chairman of the Star Market chain of supermarkets in New England and prominent member of the Mugar family of Greater Boston, was born April 5, 1914, in Boston, son of Armenian immigrant, Martin Mugar and his wife. He died March 23, 2007, in Gloucester.-Education:John...
, and encouraged him to further his education at Tufts
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, where John went on to graduate magna cum laude in 1937 and serve as a Trustee from 1966-1989.
Pre-war expansion
The second Star Market was opened in Newtonville in 1932 and the third one was opened in Wellesley in 1937. John Mugar, (1914–2007), joined Stephen in management but had to leave to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Post-war expansion
After the war ended, John Mugar returned to the Star Market management, and with wartime restrictions and shortages over, Stephen and John were ready to expand throughout Greater Boston to meet the increased affluence and consumer demand. A second NewtonvilleNewtonville, Massachusetts
Newtonville is a village of Newton, Massachusetts.Located in Newtonville is Newton North High School, one of the city's two high schools. Also located in Newtonville is the MBTA Commuter Rail train station, which is serviced by the buses 59, 553, 554, and 556....
Star Market opened in 1948 and was the Mugar's first supermarket. It was the prototype of the other modern supermarkets that they opened during this period. Meats and produce were packaged in cellophane wrappers to make them more appealing to consumers. A conveyor belt carried bags of groceries to a central pickup station by the parking lot. Customers tired of no self service at stores such as A&P or self service but little else at First National Stores
Finast
Finast was a retail supermarket brand that existed in the northeastern United States until being absorbed by Edwards and its Dutch parent Royal Ahold in the mid-1990s. Finast was an acronym for First National Stores. Despite the acronym, many referred to the store as "The First National"...
came from miles around to patronize the new Star Market.
John M. Mugar later followed Stephen as President and Chairman of the chain.
Sale to the Jewel Companies
In the early 1960s, Star Market acquired Brigham's Ice CreamBrigham's Ice Cream
Brigham's Ice Cream is an ice cream manufacturer and franchised restaurants. Brigham's is sold in quart cartons throughout New England, and served at franchised restaurants located in Massachusetts. It was founded in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. Since the purchase by HP Hood, its offices are...
, a popular ice cream shop in New England. In 1964, the Star Market Company was acquired by Chicago, Illinois-based The Jewel Companies, Inc., which chose not only to retain the original name and identity of Star Market, but also John M. Mugar as President and later Chairman. John Mugar stayed on as Chairman until 1978. While Jewel owned Star Market, it built many combination food-drug stores that it branded as Star-Osco, with common checkstands but separate management teams. Jewel also combined Star Market with Turn Style
Turn Style
Turn Style was a chain of discount department stores and was a division of Chicago-based Jewel, the parent company of the Jewel Food Stores supermarket chain. Each Turn Style had an Osco Pharmacy, at the time very uncommon for a discount store in the 1960s and 1970s...
to form Turn Style/Star Market Family Centers, which included a Star Market, an Osco Drug
Osco Drug
Osco Drug is a chain of pharmacy stores which today operate as in-store pharmacies under SuperValu Pharmacies. Osco Pharmacy is found in Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Shaw's and Star Market, while Sav-on Pharmacy is found in Acme and Albertsons. Since 2006, Osco is a wholly owned subsidiary of...
, a Turn Style, and a Brigham's Ice Cream Shop.
After the Jewel Acqusition
After Jewel was acquired by American StoresAmerican Stores
American Stores Company was an American public corporation and a holding company which ran chains of supermarkets and drugstores in the United States from 1917 through 1999...
in 1984, the Star-Osco stores were re-badged as Star Market, and placed under a single management team. After the Jewel acquisition, American Stores had debt to pay off. In order to pay of this debt, American Stores chose to sell its stores that did not earn as much money as the others did. American Stores decided to sell Buttrey Food & Drug
Buttrey Food & Drug
Buttrey Food & Drug was a chain of grocery stores founded in Havre, Montana and formerly headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. The company was founded in 1896 as a chain of department stores branded Buttrey Department Store. The company opened grocery stores in 1935 and sold off its department...
and Star Market. American Stores found a buyer for Star Market, and was sold to Investcorp
Investcorp
Investcorp is a manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. Its principal client base is in the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council, but it also has institutional clients in North America and Europe...
in 1994. The Star Market-Osco Drug connection was ended for a time. This particular sale was led by Henry Nasella, the former President of Star Market who previously spent 6 years as President and COO of Staples, before returning to Star. After the purchase by Investcorp, Nasella served as the Chairman and CEO of Star Market, and expanded the supermarket chain to include specialty brands through Wild Harvest. In 1999, Investcorp sold Star Market to Sainsbury's for $490 million. Sainsbury's merged the chain with Shaw's Supermarkets
Shaw's Supermarkets
Shaw's, along with companion store Star Market, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based SuperValu. Together, Shaw's and Star Market comprise the third-largest grocery chain headquartered in New England; behind Stop & Shop and Hannaford, although Shaw’s is the largest grocery...
to form Shaw's-Star Market.
In 2004, Albertsons, Inc. bought Sainsbury's American supermarket assets, including Star Market. When that happened, Star Market and Osco Drug were reunited under one corporate umbrella. On June 2, 2006, a partnership of SuperValu
Supervalu (United States)
SuperValu Inc. is a United States grocery retailer and distributor. The corporation, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been in business for over a century. It is the third-largest food retailing company in the United States , and ranks #51 on the Fortune 100 list.On June 2, 2006,...
, CVS Corporation
CVS Corporation
CVS Pharmacy, or simply CVS, is the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States , with over 7,000 stores in 41 states and Puerto Rico...
, and several investment firms including Cerberus Capital acquired Albertsons with the intent to divy up the parts. SuperValu
Supervalu (United States)
SuperValu Inc. is a United States grocery retailer and distributor. The corporation, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been in business for over a century. It is the third-largest food retailing company in the United States , and ranks #51 on the Fortune 100 list.On June 2, 2006,...
received Shaw's and Star Market.
In 2008, Shaw's announced that their Boston area stores were reverting to the Star Market name due to local history. On August 22, 2008, the former Shaw's at 1065 Commonwealth Avenue in Allston had its official grand re-opening as a Star Market, over eight years after its name had been changed from Star Market to Shaw's. The Brighton Mills store on Western Ave and Auburndale store on Commonwealth Avenue were also re-opened as Star Markets in July 2008 as well as a new store in Chestnut Hill. In 2009, the Star Market on Beacon Street in Somerville reopened too.
See also
- Jewel Food Stores
- Brigham's Ice CreamBrigham's Ice CreamBrigham's Ice Cream is an ice cream manufacturer and franchised restaurants. Brigham's is sold in quart cartons throughout New England, and served at franchised restaurants located in Massachusetts. It was founded in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. Since the purchase by HP Hood, its offices are...
- Osco DrugOsco DrugOsco Drug is a chain of pharmacy stores which today operate as in-store pharmacies under SuperValu Pharmacies. Osco Pharmacy is found in Jewel-Osco, Albertsons, Shaw's and Star Market, while Sav-on Pharmacy is found in Acme and Albertsons. Since 2006, Osco is a wholly owned subsidiary of...
- Shaw's SupermarketsShaw's SupermarketsShaw's, along with companion store Star Market, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based SuperValu. Together, Shaw's and Star Market comprise the third-largest grocery chain headquartered in New England; behind Stop & Shop and Hannaford, although Shaw’s is the largest grocery...