Family business transitions eight ShopRite stores

The Zallie family, owners of ShopRite supermarkets in South New Jersey, announced today that David Zallie has purchased the shares in the eight Zallie ShopRite stores that have been jointly owned by George J., Bruce and David Zallie since the passing of their father in 2011.

Both George J. and Bruce Zallie confirmed their plans to retire after long careers that spanned nearly five decades. Zallie-Somerset Inc. is the new entity that all 11 Zallie-owned ShopRite stores will operate under. 

The family business was founded in 1973 when George Zallie Sr., father of George J., Bruce and David, opened his first supermarket in Clementon, N.J. Zallie Supermarkets joined the retailer-owned cooperative, Wakefern Food Corp., in 1980. George Zallie Sr. went on to open ShopRite stores throughout South Jersey, and by 2007 the family supermarket business had grown to 10 stores. George Zallie Sr. passed away in 2011.

The 11^th store was added when David Zallie opened the ShopRite of Lawnside in 2013. The Lawnside store and ShopRites in Gibbstown and Medford were operated by David’s company, Somerset Stores LLC.

“George and Bruce worked side-by-side with my dad to build a great company,” said David Zallie. “Bruce was very influential in the development of our store-made line of products in our Appy, Food Service and Bakery and Seafood departments. His emphasis on quality and innovation in those areas was far ahead of the curve of other stores in the trading area. At the same time, my brother George worked diligently in overseeing many of our selling departments, bringing his merchandising and productivity standards to each department he oversaw. When George became director of operations for the company, he utilized all of the skills he learned up until that time to help lead the company.”

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He added, “We have strong management teams in place at both Zallie Supermarkets and Somerset Stores. I look forward to leveraging the talent within the two companies under the umbrella of Zallie-Somerset. We recognize that now is no time to let up. We anticipate making strategic capital investments in our stores that are aimed at enhancing the guest experience.”