Roundy's Supermarkets for Sale

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

MILWAUKEE — Nine years after it was taken private by its current owner, Roundy's Supermarkets here is for sale, industry sources told SN.

The company's Chicago-based owner, Willis Stein & Partners, has hired Moelis & Co., a New York-based investment bank, as a financial advisor, along with Credit Suisse, one source said, confirming a report that appeared last week on thedeal.com. Moelis officials declined comment, and Roundy's could not be reached for comment.

Observers estimated an asking price of about $1.2 billion, with the eventual buyer more likely to be a strategic player than another investment firm — possibly Kroger Co., Cincinnati; Schnuck Markets, St. Louis; or Safeway-owned Dominick's.

Roundy's operates Mariano's Fresh Market near Chicago.

Roundy's, ranked 36th in SN's Top 75 North American retailers, operates 155 stores: 96 under the Pick ’n Save banner in Wisconsin (including two upscale Metro Markets); 26 Copps Food Stores, also in Wisconsin; 32 Rainbow Foods stores in Minnesota; and a single unit of Mariano's Fresh Market just outside Chicago.