Fareway Enters Kansas City With McGonigle’s Purchase

Fareway Stores Inc. has agreed to purchase the assets of McGonigle’s Food Store Inc., and proceed with the recently approved expansion of the market at 79th and Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Mo. 

The acquisition marks the first expansion into the Kansas City market for Fareway, a Boone, Iowa-based family-run company with stores in five states.

In a statement, McGonigle’s owner Mike McGonigle indicated the grocer had been embroiled in a lengthy rezoning process to bring the outdated building up to city code requirements.

“Our store location has been challenging due to a 1940s building, which is too small for our expanding catering and deli business, and not in conformance with today’s boulevard and parkway standards,” McGonigle said.

With the rezoning approved by the city, McGonigle will now pass the baton to Fareway, another family-owned and -operated company.

“Fareway’s core values align well with my commitment to quality, integrity and personal service. I am confident they will be good stewards of the legacy of McGonigle’s,” he said.

“As we explored entering Kansas City, McGonigle’s was exactly the right fit for us,” Fareway President and CEO Reynolds W. Cramer said in a release. “Its reputation for product excellence is well-known. But it has also partnered, complemented and served its neighborhood and area residents with excellence for two generations. We will continue and build on these foundations for years to come.”

Fareway is finalizing the purchase and transitioning Fareway’s Meat Market operations into the existing store. The grocers anticipate a brief store closure as they make the transition. It will continue to offer prepared foods under the McGonigle’s Kitchen and Catering name.

Once it is reopened as Fareway Meat Market and McGonigle’s Kitchen Catering BBQ, longtime McGonigle’s employee Randy Ross will head Fareway’s kitchen and catering operations. The new store will also have a full-service meat counter, expanded seafood, artisan cheeses, high-quality wine, craft beer and other offerings.

Fareway operates 122 stores in a five-state region. The time frame for expansion of the new Fareway Meat Market and McGonigle’s Kitchen Catering BBQ is unknown.