New Natural Chain Targets Midwest

BOULDER — Natural food retailing veteran Pat Gilliland, whose brother Mike is the former chief executive officer of natural and organic supermarket chains Wild Oats Markets and Sunflower Farmers Market, is leading another natural grocer based here on an expansion kick.

Lucky’s Markets, founded here 10 years ago, has plans to expand to six new locations in the Western and Midwestern states over the next 30 months, according to its website.

Pat Gilliland, a veteran of Sunflower and Wild Oats, is chief executive of Lucky’s. Its website describes the concept as “a full service grocery store providing the right balance of farm fresh produce at great prices along with mainstream, natural, organic and locally grown foods to meet the everyday needs of our customers.”

Lucky’s on its website said it planned to open stores in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. A second Colorado store was also being planned, published reports said.

Mike Gilliland was CEO of Sunflower until resigning in 2011 amid an arrest in a child-prostitution sting. He was sentenced this week to 30 days in jail and a year’s probation, reports said.

Read more: Sunflower CEO Arrested, Resigns