Hy-Vee to acquire family-owned North Scott Foods store

Hy-Vee, Inc. is acquiring North Scott Foods, a single-unit supermarket in Eldridge, Iowa, owner Steve Grolmus confirmed Friday.

“I have had several inquiries in the last few years, and now’s the time,” Grolmus told WGB.

Grolmus, who said he is retiring after 45 years in the grocery industry, said his store’s transition to a Hy-Vee banner will take place in early April. Hy-Vee will retain all North Scott Foods employees, he said.

“It has been an honor and privilege for my family to serve and support this awesome community for the past 45 years,” Grolmus said in a Facebook post announcing the acquisition.

Hy-Vee, in a statement to WGB late Friday, confirmed it was in the process of buying North Scott Foods. 

"All current employees are aware and will be offered jobs with Hy-Vee," the grocer said. "At this time, we do not have a specific date to release regarding the official transition of the store to a Hy-Vee."

This will be Hy-Vee’s first store in Eldridge. Its nearest store is about nine miles away in Davenport, Iowa.

North Scott Foods is currently the only grocery store in the city, with a population of about 6,700 people, according to the 2020 Census.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee operates 285 grocery stores across eight Midwestern states and employs more than 80,000 people.

Earlier this week, the employee-owned grocer opened two new Wisconsin locations, one in Janesville and another in Oregon.

Grolmus has a long history in the Iowa grocery industry. He served as past chairman of the board of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association and last year was named to the group’s hall of fame as retailer of the year.

After so many decades in the industry, he said he was looking forward to retirement.

“I’m probably going to attend a lot of Cubs baseball games this summer, do some fishing and maybe start a consulting business,” Grolmus said.

UPDATE: This story has been updated with a comment from Hy-Vee.