U.S. food sales rose 6.4% to $775 billion in 2003, according to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce and other sources. SN's Top 75 retailers with sales volume of $602.9 billion in 2003 represent 78% of total food sales. Top 75 sales volume in 2002 was $522.8 billion. In 2003, Wal-Mart Supercenters generated $31 billion in grocery sales, or 5.1% of the total Top 75 sales volume.
40% of total corporate sales, which are estimated at $258 billion for 2003.
2) Kroger Co.
Cincinnati
Joseph A. Pichler, Chairman
4,169
53.6 e
1/31/04
Kroger's sales totals encompass 2,519 supermarkets and multi-department stores, 794 convenience stores, 444 fine jewelry stores and 412 fuel centers.
3) Costco Wholesale Corp.
Issaquah, Wash.
Jim Sinega, President, CEO
l420
41.7 a
8/31/03
Groceries, encompassing food and sundries, account for approximately 60% of Costco's sales, or $25 billion.
4) Albertsons
Boise, Idaho
Larry Johnston, Chairman, CEO
2,540
36.2 e
1/29/04
Albertsons stores encompass 1,335 supermarkets, 268 dual-branded combination stores, 710 freestanding drug stores and 227 fuel centers.
5) Safeway
Pleasanton, Calif.
Steve Burd, chairman, president, CEO
1,702
33.6 e
1/3/04
6) Sam's Clubs
Bentonville, Ark.
Kevin Turner, president, CEO
538
33.5 e
1/31/04
Groceries, encompassing food and sundries, account for approximately 61% of Sam's total sales, or $20.4 billion. Sam's Clubs account for approximately 13% of Wal-Mart sales, estimated to be $258 billion for 2003. Sam's also operates 80 units in Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Canada and China.
7) Ahold USA Retail
Chantilly, Va.
Bill Grize, president, CEO
1,635
26.9 e
12/28/03
Ahold USA Retail accounts for approximately 61% of Ahold USA sales, which are estimated to be $44.4 billion for 2003; the balance of U.S. sales -- an estimated $17.5 billion -- comes from Ahold USA Foodservice. Ahold USA accounts for approximately 70% of the parent company's total sales, which are estimated to be $63.2 billion (U.S.) for 2003.
8) Supervalu
Minneapolis
Jeff Noddle, chairman, president, CEO
1,451
20.3 e
2/28/04
Sales from 649 corporate stores and sales to 802 licensed Save-A-Lot stores combine to account for approximately 50% of total sales. Corporate-owned stores encompass 265 price-impact and fresh supermarkets and 384 extreme-value food and general merchandise stores.
9) Publix Super Markets
Lakeland, Fla.
Charles Jenkins Jr. CEO
806
16.7 e
12/27/03
10) Loblaw Cos
Toronto
Galen Weston, chairman
1,031
16.2 e ($U.S.)
1/3/04
Loblaw operates 631 corporate stores and supplies 400 franchised stores.
11) Delhaize America
Salisbury, N.C.
Pierre Olivier-Beckers, Chairman
1,499
15.4 e
1/3/04
Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group, encompasses 1,199 Food Lion stores, 137 Kash n' Karry units,120 Hannaford Bros. stores and 43 Harveys stores. Delhaize America accounts for approximately 73% of Delhaize Group's sales, which are estimated at $21.2 billion (U.S.) for 2003.
12) Winn-Dixie Stores
Jacksonville, Fla.
A. Dano Davis, Chairman
1,07611.9 e
6/30/04
13) C&S Wholesale Grocers
Brattleboro, Vt.
Rick Cohen, Chairman, CEO
011.3 e
9/27/03
C&S supplies products to a variety of Top 75 retailers, and volume from those companies is reflected in the sales totals for C&S and for each of the individual retailers. C&S volume does not include retail sales from GU Markets, an affiliate of C&S that operates 32 former Grand Union locations.
14) 7-Eleven
Dallas
Jim Keyes, President, CEO
5,799
11.1 e
12/31/03
7-Eleven operates 5,305 stores in the U.S. and 494 in Canada. All stores in Canada and 47% of those in the U.S. are corporate owned; 53% of the stores in the U.S. are franchised. U.S. sales account for 90% of the company's total sales. Of the company's total volume, 28% comes from gasoline sales and 72% from merchandise. Of that 72%, groceries and nonfoods account for 90% of sales, or approximately $7.2 billion. Excluding tobacco products, which account for approximately 28% of the total, sales from dairy, fresh foods, candy and snacks, beer and wine, beverages and nonfoods account for approximately $5.2 billion.
15) Meijer Inc.
Grand Rapids, Mich
Doug and Hank Meijer co-Chairman
158
11.1 e
2/1/04
16) H.E. Butt Grocery Co.
San Antonio
Charles C. Butt, Chairman CEO
298
10.6 a
11/2/03
H-E-B's sales include volume from 20 stores in Mexico.
17) A&P
Montvale, N.J.
Christian Haub, Chairman, president, CEO
879
10.4 e
2/28/04
A&P operates 638 corporate stores in the U.S. and 177 corporate stores in Canada; it also operates 64 Food Basics franchised stores in Canada. Sales in Canada account for approximately 25% of the company's total.
18) Sobeys
Stellarton, Nova Scotia
Bill McEwen, President CEO
1,326
7.0 e ($U.S.)
5/1/04
Sobeys operates 413 corporate stores, including 220 supermarkets, 128 convenience stores and 65 drug stores, and supplies 913 franchised stores.
19) BJ's Wholesale Club
Natick, Mass.
Michael T. Wedge, President, CEO
147
6.6 e
1/31/04
Groceries, encompassing food and sundries, account for approximately $4.6 billion, or 70% of BJ's total sales.
20) Wakefern Food Corp.
Elizabeth, N.J.
Thomas Infusino, Chairman
Elizabeth, N.J.
49
6.1 a
9/27/03
Wakefern supplies products to three other Top 75 companies -- Foodarama, Village Super Markets and Inserra Supermarkets -- and volume from those companies is reflected in the sales totals for Wakefern. Wakefern declined to indicate what percentage of total sales is generated by corporate stores.
21) Super Target
Minneapolis
Robert J. Ulrich, corporate chairman, CEO
118
5.8 e
1/31/04
Super Target's sales represent approximately 12% of Target Corp.'s total sales, which are estimated at $48 billion for 2003.
22) Giant Eagle
Pittsburgh
David Shapira, chairman, CEO
215
4.7 e 6/30/04
Volume total encompasses sales from 131 corporate stores and sales to 84 franchised independent stores.
23) Shaw's Supermarkets
West Bridgewater, Mass.
Paul Gannon, president, CEO
2014.6 e
2/28/04
Shaw's is a division of Sainsbury, London, and accounts for 16% of Sainsbury's sales.
24) Hy-Vee Food Stores
Des Moines, Iowa
Ric Jurgens, president, CEO
2184.2 a
9/28/03
Hy-Vee operates 192 supermarkets and 26 drug stores.
25) Pathmark Stores
Carteret, N.J.
Eileen Scott, CEO
1434.0 e
1/31/04
26) Nash Finch Co.
Minneapolis
Ron Marshal, CEO
l1093.9 e
1/3/04
Corporate stores at Nash Finch account for 24% of total sales.
27) Roundy's
Milwaukee
Robert A. Mariano, Chairman, CEO
1113.9 e
1/3/04
Corporate stores at Roundy's account for approximately 54% of total sales.
28) Associated Wholesale Grocers
Kansas City, Kan.
Gary A. Phillips, president, CEO
743.7 e
12/27/03
Corporate stores at AWG account for 10% of total sales.
29) Aldi
Batavia, Ill.
Charles Youngstrom, president
6303.5 e
12/31/03
Aldi is the U.S. subsidiary of Aldi Group, Essen, Germany.
30) Metro
Montreal
Pierre Lessard, president, CEO
5453.5 a ($U.S.)
9/27/03
Metro operates 142 corporate stores and supplies 403 franchised stores that each account for approximately 50% of total sales.
31) Wegmans Food Markets
Rochester, N.Y.
Danny Wegman, president
653.3 e
12/31/03
32) Raley's Supermarkets
Sacramento, Calif.
William Coyne, president
134
3.2 e
6/26/04
33) Whole Foods Market
Austin, Texas
John Mackey, chairman, president, CEO
1453.1 a
9/28/03
34) Unified Western Grocers
Los Angeles
Al Plamann, president, CEO
0
2.8 a
9/27/03
35) Stater Bros. Markets
Colton, Calif.
Jack Brown, chairman, president, CEO
157
2.8 a
9/28/03
36) Trader Joe Co.
Monrovia, Calif.
Dan Bane, CEO
2142.5 e
6/30/04
Trader Joe is wholly owned by the Albrecht family of Germany.
37) Price Chopper
Schenectady, N.Y.
Neil Golub, president, CEO
1062.5 e
4/25/04
38) Super Kmart
Troy, Mich.
Edward Lampert, corporate chairman
602.5 e
1/28/04
Food sales at Super Kmart, encompassing groceries, consumables and restaurant, account for approximately 32% of Super Kmart's total sales, or $990 million. Super Kmart's volume represents approximately 10% of the company's total sales, which are estimated at $25 billion for 2003.
39) Harris Teeter
Matthews, N.C.
Fred Morganthall, president
140
2.4 a
9/28/03
Harris Teeter is a division of Ruddick Corp., Charlotte, N.C.
40) Save Mart Supermarkets
Modesto, Calif.
Robert M. Piccinini, chairman, CEO
1232.2 e
12/28/03
41) Schnuck Markets
St. Louis
Craig Schnuck, chairman, CEO
100
2.2 e
9/30/03
42) Spartan Stores
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Craig Sturken, chairman, president, CEO
752.2 e
3/31/04
Corporate stores, encompassing 54 supermarkets and 21 deep-discount drug stores, account for 45% of total sales.
43) Federated Cooperatives
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Dennis Banda, president
152.1 e ($U.S.)
10/31/03
Food sales at Federated account for 42% of total sales, or $880 million (U.S.). Corporate stores at Federated account for 4% of food sales.
44) Alex Lee Inc.
Hickory, N.C.
Boyd George, chairman, CEO
1082.1 a
9/27/03
Sales at Alex Lee Inc. include $1.1 billion from Lowes Food Stores, Winston-Salem, N.C.; $1.4 billion from Merchants Distributors Inc., Hickory, N.C., a wholesaler (approximately 47% of whose sales go to Lowes); and $308 million from Institution Food House, Hickory, N.C., a food-service distributor.
45) WinCo Foods
Boise, Idaho
William D. Long, chairman, CEO
432.0 e
3/27/04
46) Weis Markets
Sunbury, Pa.
Robert F. Weis, chairman
158
2.0 e
12/27/03
47) Ingles Markets
Black Mountain, N.C.
Robert P. Ingle, chairman, CEO
199
2.0 a
9/27/03
48) Overwaitea Food Group
Langley, British Columbia
Steve Vanderleest, president
852.0 e ($U.S.)
12/31/03
49) Demoulas Market Basket
Tewksbury, Mass.
William J. Shea, chairman
581.9 e
1/3/04
50) Smart & Final
Los Angeles
Ross Roeder, chairman, CEO
229
1.8 e
12/28/03
Smart & Final operates 183 warehouse stores and 46 cash-and-carry stores. Volume total includes food-service sales of approximately $190 million for about half of the fiscal year, after which that business was sold.
51) Purity Wholesale Grocers
Boca Raton, Fla.
Sal Ricciardi, president, CEO
0
1.8 e
6/30/04
52) Brookshire Grocery Co
Tyler, Texas.
Bruce Brookshire, chairman
153
1.7 e
9/30/03
53) Bashas'
Chandler, Ariz.
Eddie N. Basha Jr., chairman, CEO
1421.7 e
12/31/03
54) Marsh Supermarkets
Indianapolis
Donald W. Marsh, chairman, CEO
280
1.7 e
3/31/04
Marsh's store totals include 113 supermarkets and 167 convenience stores.
55) Penn Traffic Co.
Syracuse, N.Y.
James A. Demme, chairman
159
1.7 e
1/31/04
Penn Traffic also serves as a wholesaler to 75 licensed franchisees and 42 independent operators. The company is restructuring under Chapter 11 protection, and was opting to sell and close stores prior to the end of the fiscal year that may not be reflected in the numbers in this chart.
56) White Rose Foods
Somerset, N.J.
Stephen Bokser and Richard Neff, co-CEOs
0
1.5 e
12/27/03
White Rose is a division of DiGiorgio Corp.
57) Grocers Supply Co.
co-CEOs
Max and Milton Levit
0
1.5 e
12/31/03
58) Associated Food Stores
Salt Lake City
Richard Parkinson, president, CEO
23
1.3 e
3/27/04
Corporate stores at Associated account for 30% of sales.
59) Neighborhood Markets
Bentonville, Ark.
Ed Kolodzieski, senior VP, Wal-Mart operations
60
1.3 e
1/31/04
60) Big Y Foods
Springfield, Mass.
Donald D'Amour, chairman, CEO
53
1.2 e
6/27/04
Big Y operates 51 conventional supermarkets and two fine wine, liquor and gourmet food stores under the banners Table & Vine and Town & Country.
61) K-VA-T Food Stores
Abingdon, Va.
Jack Smith, chairman
87
1.2 e 12/31/03
62) Foodarama
Freehold, N.J.
Richard Saker, president, CEO
24
1.1 e
11/1/03
63) Associated Wholesalers Inc.
Robesonia, Pa.
J. Chris Michael, president, CEO
9
1.1 e
7/31/04
Corporate stores at AWI account for 7% of total sales.
64) Fiesta Mart
Houston
Louis Katipodis, president, CEO
50
1.1 e
5/30/04
65) Wild Oats Markets
Boulder, Colo.
Perry Odak, president, CEO
102
0.96 e
12/27/03
66) Inserra Supermarkets
Mahwah, N.J.
Lawrence R. Inserra, chairman, CEOs
22
0.93 e
12/27/03
67) Minyard Food Stores
Coppell, Texas
Gretchen Minyard Williams
and Liz Minyard, co-chairs, co-CEO
74
0.91 e
6/30/04
68) Village Super Market
Springfield, N.J.
James Sumas, chairman
23
0.90 e
7/26/04
69) Associated Grocers
Seattle
Robert Hermanns, president, CEO
10.90 a
9/26/03
70) United Supermarkets
Lubbock, Texas
Gantt Bumstead, president
44
0.90 e
1/31/04
71) Bozzuto's
Cheshire, Conn.
Michael Bozzuto, chairman
10
0.89 e
9/27/03
Corporate stores at Bozzuto's account for 3% of total sales.
72) King Kullen Grocery Co.
Bethpage, N.Y.
Bernard Kennedy, chairman, CEO
50
0.80 e
10/3/03
King Kullen operates 48 supermarkets and two Wild by Nature natural foods stores.
73) Brookshire Bros.
Lufkin, Texas
Jack Gabriel, president
71
0.80 e
4/24/04
74) Haggen Inc.
Bellingham, Wash.
Dale C. Henley, president, CEO
30
0.78 e
12/27/03
Haggen operates 29 supermarkets and one freestanding pharmacy.
75) Redner's Markets
Baldon, Pa.
Richard Redner, president, CEO
47
0.73 e
12/31/03
Redner's store totals include 36 supermarkets and 11 convenience stores.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
IGA, the Chicago-based voluntary network of independent operators, was unable to supply volume estimates for 2003 because of the financial difficulties and eventual demise of Fleming, which had supplied 40% of IGA's stores in the United States. Company representatives said overall sales for 2003 will approach last year's $24 billion, with sales in Canada ($6 billion in 2002) holding steady and overseas sales ($10 billion last year) remaining strong; however, U.S. sales ($8 billion in 2002) may be down. IGA said year-end sales have been stronger than had been anticipated earlier in the year, but it will not have definitive volume numbers before the end of the first quarter. IGA members are supplied by 14 licensed wholesalers in the United States and two in Canada.
Piggly Wiggly Co. is a Dallas-based umbrella organization for approximately 600 franchised stores in 16 states with a combined 2003 volume of approximately $3 billion. Piggly Wiggly stores, which are supplied by a variety of different wholesalers, became an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers, Brattleboro, Vt., in 2002 when C&S acquired some of Fleming's assets.
