Save Mart Supermarkets (also known as The Save Mart Companies) is an American grocery store operator. It owns and operates stores under the names of Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky and FoodMaxx. The stores are located in northern California and northern Nevada.
Albertsons acquisition
On November 27, 2006, Save Mart announced an agreement to acquire 132 Albertsons stores in California and Nevada. Save Mart officially began operating the stores in late February 2007, and the acquired stores were to be re-branded during the year. Those in the San Francisco Bay Area were to be rebranded Lucky, and the rest would operate under the Save Mart banner.
Company history
- 1952 â€" First Save Mart store opens in Modesto, California.
- 1973 â€" Yosemite Wholesale opens in Modesto.
- 1981 â€" Bob Piccinini is named president.
- 1984 â€" Save Mart partners with two other retailers to launch Mid-Valley Dairy, producer of Sunnyside Farms products. SMART Refrigerated Transport opens in Turlock, California.
- 1985 â€" Bob Piccinini purchases Save Mart Supermarkets and becomes CEO.
- 1986 â€" Opens its first two Food Maxx stores in Bakersfield, California in partnership with the Fleming Company.
- 1988 â€" Partners with two other retailers to open Sunnyside Farms Dairy product plant in Turlock.
- 1989 â€" Acquires 27 Fry’s Supermarkets in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- 1991 â€" Helps found and becomes a voting partner in Super Store Industries (SSI).
- 1997 â€" Acquires 10 Lucky stores in California.
- 2003 â€" Acquires 25 Food 4 Less stores and rebrands them FoodMaxx.
- 2007 â€" Acquires Albertsons stores in the Sacramento, California area, San Francisco Bay Area, Central Valley and northern Nevada and converts them to Lucky and Save Mart stores.
Banners and brands
Save Mart Supermarkets includes a number of store banners and private label product brands.
Save Mart stores are full-service grocery stores with a broad product offering, including fresh products, bakery goods, deli foods and ethnic foods.
Lucky Supermarkets are full-service grocery stores. Their offerings include fresh products, bakery and deli-prepared foods, and ethnic offerings.
FoodMaxx is a warehouse-concept grocery store.
MaxxValue Foods offers products at warehouse-store prices without a store club membership fee.
Store brands
- Sunny Select â€" juices and foods
- Valu Time â€" packaged foods and general merchandise
- Sunnyside Farms â€" dairy and frozen foods
- Bayview Farms â€" dairy and frozen foods
- Pacific Coast Selections â€" fresh and packaged foods
- Pacific Coast Café â€" coffee
- Full Circle â€" organic packaged foods
- Master Cut â€" meats
- Maxx Value â€" meats
- Master Catch â€" fish and seafood
- Top Care â€" over-the-counter medications
- Paws Premium â€" pet food
- Bohemian Hearth - bread
Distribution infrastructure
Super Store Industries (Lathrop) capitalizes on the combined buying power of more than one privately owned grocery chain. Economies of scale enable the partners, including Save Mart Supermarkets, to purchase or produce products at low cost. They can then (if they wish) pass on the savings to their customers and maintain a competitive edge. SSI also produces and packages bottled beverages, cultured dairy products, and frozen dairy products for several brands, including Sunnyside Farms yogurt, Stater Brothers ice cream, and Minute Maid orange juice. SSI owns and operates Sunnyside Farms (Fairfield) and Sunnyside Farms Dairy (Turlock).
- Yosemite Wholesale (Merced) is a dry and packaged good warehouse servicing all of the company’s stores.
- Save Mart Supermarkets Distribution Center (Roseville service all of the company’s stores.
- SMART Refrigerated Transport (Lathrop) is a trucking firm that transports dry groceries, frozen foods, ice, and novelties to all of Save Mart Supermarkets’ stores. The company also works as an outside contractor hauling products for other retailers.
2011 Lucky Stores card-swipe thefts
In November 2011, hundreds of Lucky customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area were reported to be victims of card-swipe thefts the previous month. The crime resulted from the surreptitious placement of card-scanning modules at the stores' self-serve checkout stands. Card information of customers, including personal identification numbers (PIN) may have been retrieved by the criminals. Some customers reported having money withdrawn from their accounts. The company advised affected customers to contact their financial institutions. Lucky also advised some customers to close their accounts.
Store closures
Since 2010 the company closed stores in Clovis, Delano, Elk Grove, Folsom, Fresno, Kerman, Merced, Milpitas, Modesto, Sanger, Tracy and Yuba City, due to competition, higher prices and other reasons.
Lawsuits
In a 2013 settlement with 35 California district attorneys, the company agreed to pay $2.55 million in civil penalties, costs and expenses for violating state law on storage, handling and disposal of hazardous materials, including items like bleaches, batteries, electronic devices, ignitible liquids, aeresol products and cleaning products.
In 2015 the company agreed to pay $277,319 in back pay and damages to distribution center workers in Vacaville (now closed) and Roseville. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the company failed to include bonuses in the employee rate of pay when computing overtime.
Unions
Employees at the company's stores are represented by labor unions. These include: United Food and Commercial Workers, Teamsters, Service Employees International Union and Machinist Automotive Trades District.
References
External links
- Save Mart website
- FoodMaxx website
- Lucky website
- Save Mart Center at Fresno State website
- MaxxValue Foods website