Raley’s Acquires 6 Scolari’s, Expands Nevada Store Base

Raley’s is acquiring six Scolari’s Food & Drug locations in northern Nevada. The retailer will assume operations of the stores, including five Scolari’s Food & Drug, which will transfer to the Raley’s banner, and one Sak ‘N Save, which will keep its name and operate as part of Raley’s Food Source division. The transition is expected to be completed by late spring 2018.

“The network of Scolari’s stores offers great synergies in a market we already operate,” said Raley’s CFO Ken Mueller in a statement. 

Joey Scolari, CEO of Scolari’s Food & Drug, concurred and expressed confidence that its "customers and employees will be served well under the stewardship of the Raley’s organization.

"With complementary markets and strong family values, we believe Raley’s was the right partner to assume the operation of the six locations of our family business," he said.  

West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley's—which has operated grocery stores in Nevada since 1959, including the current 11 under its flagship banner, one Food Source and two Aisle One fuel stations—said it expects to build on Scolari's existing customer base by offering more products and categories at affordable prices.

“The Raley’s team will actively listen to customers, and we look forward to learning what the customers want and need from us,” Raley’s president Keith Knopf said in a statement. “We take seriously the stewardship passed to us by the Scolari’s family and will work to preserve the positive impact they have created.”

Related:Raley's Expands Ready-To-Go Meals

The following store locations will be transferred to Raley’s:

“I am pleased that Raley’s will reach and serve even more customers,” Raley’s Chairman and CEO Michael Teel said in a statement. “Making healthy and affordable food available to more people aligns with our purpose to infuse life with health and happiness, by changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time.”

The Scolari’s family will continue to operate in Sparks and Sun Valley, Nev. The Food Partners represented Scolari’s in its evaluation of strategic alternatives, including as its financial advisor in the sale to Raley’s.

In the 1990s, Raley’s purchased two other family-owned grocery brands, Nob Hill Foods in the Bay Area and Bel Air Markets in the Sacramento, Calif., region. The company currently operates 122 stores under four banners. The additional stores will increase the total store count to 128.

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