Balls Food Stores employees are now owners

Balls Food Stores employees now have some skin in the game with the Kansas City, Kan.-based grocery chain through the company’s new employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), the retailer announced Thursday.

The ESOP transfers ownership of the 25-store chain to some 2,600 employees at the chain that operates under the banners Hen House Markets, SunFresh Markets, Payless Discount Foods, Price Chopper, and Tippins Pies.

“My grandfather and father taught me that if you take care of your teammates, they’ll take care of the customer, and the customer will take care of the business,” Balls Food Stores President David Ball said in a press release. “By making our teammates owners, we’re preserving the company’s culture and values — while creating a sustainable growth strategy for Balls Food Stores. Most importantly, we believe this will be a game changer for everyone who works at BFS, something that will impact them for generations to come.” 

Ball said the ESOP is a qualified retirement plan with a trust, enabling current and future qualified employees to receive allocations of company stock without making their own out-of-pocket contributions.

Ball said store operations will remain the same. 

“We’ll continue to be a teammate-centric, customer-focused company committed to the communities we serve,” Ball said. “My grandfather always said we’re in the people business. We just happen to sell groceries. That’s one reason an ESOP structure is an ideal growth strategy for BFS. Our focus is on people, culture, operations, and growth. An ESOP brings all of that together.” 

The grocery chain celebrated the ESOP’s launch with a party for its employees where the company gave away a car.

The chain joins a handful of other grocers that offer ESOPs to their employees, including Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix Super Markets and West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee. 

The establishment of the Balls Food Stores ESOP coincides with the company’s 100-year anniversary.