Wakefern Food Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Wakefern Food Corp., founded in 1946 and based in Keasbey, New Jersey
(United States
), is the largest co-operative group of supermarket
s in the United States
. The name "Wakefern" is a portmanteau of the founders' names (W for Louis Weiss, A for Al and Sam Aidekman, K for Abe Kesselman, an E added for pronunciation
, and FERN for Dave Fern), though the company adopted the name ShopRite
for its stores in 1951. Its current chairman is Joseph Colalillo.
Wakefern owns one of the Northeast's largest truck
ing fleet
s and is the third-largest cooperative in the United States.. In 2011 its revenue was $ 12.8 billion.
Wakefern also created and operates or franchises the PriceRite
limited-assortment chain of stores throughout Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and California. PriceRite is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern.
The company supplies all of its members' ShopRite
stores as well as the PriceRite
chain. In July, 2007, the cooperative announced that for the first time, it was offering its wholesale services to third-party supermarket operators, in the Northeastern United States and other areas of the country. Since then, Wakefern has announced deals to supply the Gristedes
and Morton Williams
chains of supermarkets in the New York City area, Heinen's Fine Foods
chain in Ohio, as well as The Market Place in Bermuda
Wakefern also provides its members' stores with services such as: computer services, insurance, advertising, marketing, merchandising, and procurement.
Wakefern currently has a total of 7 warehouses in New Jersey
and Pennsylvania
. Wakefern has recently signed a 3 year lease to a warehouse in Carteret, New Jersey
. The purpose of the Carteret facility is a temporary store of grocery products while their facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey
is demolished. They are going to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the original location.
Keasbey, New Jersey
Keasbey is a small unincorporated area located within Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on the western outskirt of Perth Amboy, a city made up, increasingly since the 1960s, of mostly Latinos...
(United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), is the largest co-operative group of supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name "Wakefern" is a portmanteau of the founders' names (W for Louis Weiss, A for Al and Sam Aidekman, K for Abe Kesselman, an E added for pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
, and FERN for Dave Fern), though the company adopted the name ShopRite
ShopRite (United States)
ShopRite Supermarkets is a retailers' cooperative chain of supermarkets in the northeastern United States, with stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
for its stores in 1951. Its current chairman is Joseph Colalillo.
Wakefern owns one of the Northeast's largest truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
ing fleet
Fleet vehicles
Fleet vehicles are groups of motor vehicles owned or leased by a business or government agency, rather than by an individual or family. Typical examples are vehicles operated by car rental companies, taxicab companies, public utilities, public bus companies, and police departments...
s and is the third-largest cooperative in the United States.. In 2011 its revenue was $ 12.8 billion.
Wakefern also created and operates or franchises the PriceRite
PriceRite
PriceRite, based in Wethersfield, CT, is a chain of limited-assortment supermarkets throughout the U.S. States of Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California. There are currently 49 PriceRite stores and the chain is growing fast, opening 6 new stores...
limited-assortment chain of stores throughout Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and California. PriceRite is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern.
The company supplies all of its members' ShopRite
ShopRite (United States)
ShopRite Supermarkets is a retailers' cooperative chain of supermarkets in the northeastern United States, with stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
stores as well as the PriceRite
PriceRite
PriceRite, based in Wethersfield, CT, is a chain of limited-assortment supermarkets throughout the U.S. States of Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California. There are currently 49 PriceRite stores and the chain is growing fast, opening 6 new stores...
chain. In July, 2007, the cooperative announced that for the first time, it was offering its wholesale services to third-party supermarket operators, in the Northeastern United States and other areas of the country. Since then, Wakefern has announced deals to supply the Gristedes
Gristedes
Gristede's is a New York City-based chain of small supermarkets. It serves a mostly urban customer base.-History:The first Gristede's [grih-STEE-deez] was founded by brothers Diedrich and Charles Gristede in 1888...
and Morton Williams
Morton Williams
Morton Williams, founded in 1946, is a family-owned and operated food retailer of twelve stores in the New York City Metropolitan area. "Each store is designed to reflect the needs of the individual neighborhood."-Locations:...
chains of supermarkets in the New York City area, Heinen's Fine Foods
Heinen's Fine Foods
Heinens, Inc. is a family-owned and operated regional supermarket chain in Northeast Ohio. Heinen's was founded in 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio, when Joseph Heinen opened a small meat market on Kinsman Road. After running the store for a few years, Joseph opened Cleveland's first supermarket across the...
chain in Ohio, as well as The Market Place in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
Wakefern also provides its members' stores with services such as: computer services, insurance, advertising, marketing, merchandising, and procurement.
Wakefern currently has a total of 7 warehouses in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Wakefern has recently signed a 3 year lease to a warehouse in Carteret, New Jersey
Carteret, New Jersey
Carteret is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 22,844.Carteret was created as the borough of Roosevelt on 11 April 1906, incorporating Woodbridge Township, and was a result of a referendum on 22 May 1906...
. The purpose of the Carteret facility is a temporary store of grocery products while their facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
is demolished. They are going to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the original location.