Big Y Foods, Inc. (or Big Y) is an American, family-owned supermarket chain located in
Massachusetts and
Connecticut. It operates under the trade names "Big Y World Class Market" or "Big Y Supermarket".
In 1936, a young entrepreneur, Paul D'Amour, aided by his brother, Gerald, and sisters, Ann Marie, Yvette, and Gertrude, purchased the Y Cash Market in the
Willimansett section of
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. C ...
, at the
"Y" intersection of Chicopee and Meadow Streets. On December 12, 1936, the brothers began Y Cash Market, the forerunner of Big Y. The company is headquartered in
Springfield, Massachusetts. Big Y now is run by cousins Charles and Michael D'Amour.
Big Y is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in
New England, and it employs over 12,000 people. In 2021 Big Y was the 210th-largest private company in the
United States, according to that year's ''
Forbes'' magazine "Largest Private Companies" list. Big Y is the fifth largest supermarket chain in New England after
Quincy-based
Stop & Shop,
Scarborough-based
Hannaford, and
West Bridgewater–based
Shaw's Supermarkets, and
Tewksbury Tewksbury may refer to:
Places
*Tewksbury, Massachusetts, USA
*Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, USA
* Tewksbury Heights, Contra Costa County, California, USA
*Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England
**Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
**Borough o ...
-based
Market Basket. Big Y is the second largest in Southern New England after the aforementioned Stop & Shop.
History
Big Y's largest competitor throughout its trade area is
Stop & Shop, based out of
Quincy, and to a lesser extent Big Y also competes with Boston-based
Shaw's
Shaw's and Star Market are two American supermarket chains under united management based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, employing about 30,000 associates in 150 total stores; 129 stores are operated under the Shaw's banner in Maine, Massach ...
and
Schenectady, New York's
Price Chopper Price Chopper may refer to:
United States
* Price Chopper (Northeastern United States), a supermarket chain based in Schenectady, New York, with stores in eastern United States
** Price Chopper Tour Championship, a golf tournament in the Albany, ...
supermarkets. In Connecticut, Big Y is now the second-largest supermarket chain by number of locations, with only Stop & Shop operating more Connecticut stores.
In July 2016, it was announced that Big Y had entered into a purchase agreement with
Ahold
Koninklijke Ahold N.V. was a Dutch multinational retail company based in Zaandam, Netherlands. It merged with Belgium-based Delhaize Group in 2016 to form Ahold Delhaize.
History
Growth in the Netherlands
The company started in 1887, when Al ...
and
Delhaize Group for eight
Hannaford Brothers
Hannaford is an American supermarket chain based in Scarborough, Maine. Founded in Portland, Maine, in 1883, Hannaford operates stores in New England and New York. The chain is now part of the Ahold Delhaize group based in the Netherlands, ...
locations in Massachusetts as part of the divestiture of stores to gain clearance from the
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
for the impending Ahold/Delhaize merger. The new stores, all converted from Hannaford, are located in
Kingston,
Quincy,
Norwell,
Milford,
Norwood,
West Peabody,
Saugus, and
Easton.
The addition of the eight new stores brought Big Y's store count in Massachusetts to 37, and increased its footprint in the state to extend from the Berkshires all the way to Greater Boston.
As of December 2021, Big Y operates 72 supermarkets in Massachusetts and Connecticut;
many of which are located in the metropolitan areas of
Springfield,
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
,
Greater Boston, and
Hartford. In addition to its traditional supermarkets, Big Y owns and operates two specialty markets: Table & Vine, a large specialty liquor and wine store in
West Springfield; and the Fresh Acres Market, a concept mixing an open-air-style farmers' market with upscale food choices, in Springfield. Big Y also operated two standalone pharmacies in Springfield and Wilbraham before eventually folding them into the pharmacies located in its nearby stores. Between 2013 and 2021, Big Y opened 12 gas stations and convenience stores in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, under the name "Big Y Express." Most Big Y Express stores are located adjacent to, or nearby, a full-size Big Y supermarket.
Locations and expansion
Big Y focuses primarily on opening stores to strengthen its existing footprint, though that footprint is expanding slowly. Most Big Y stores are within a 75-mile radius of their Springfield headquarters. In 2010, Big Y announced that its new store plans included
Lee
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
,
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, and
Milford, Massachusetts; according to its website, each town would have a store by 2012. The Lee store opened in November 2011, adding to Big Y's presence in the Berkshires; while the Franklin store opened in August 2012. The Franklin store is a sister location to Big Y's store in
Walpole; those two had been Big Y's only stores in
Greater Boston until 2016. Big Y also announced new stores in
Foxborough
Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 a ...
and
Holyoke
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfiel ...
, but plans for those locations were ultimately withdrawn. The original Milford plans also never came to fruition, but after the previously mentioned buyout of eight Hannaford stores, Big Y now operates the former Hannaford stores in Milford,
Norwell,
Kingston,
Easton, and
Norwood.
In 2016, Big Y opened a Connecticut store in Shelton, bringing their store count in that state to 33. Big Y has also occasionally grown through acquisitions. In addition to the previously mentioned acquisition of eight former Hannaford stores, in late 2010 Big Y purchased seven stores from
A&P, which was leaving central Connecticut. Four of these stores (Branford, Mystic, Old Lyme, and
West Hartford
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census.
The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...
) were renovated and re-opened as Big Y World Class Markets within a short period of time.
As of June 2017, the company operated 77 locations.
On November 7, 2019, Big Y opened two new store locations in Milford, Connecticut and Derby, Connecticut.
On March 7, 2022, Big Y announced plans to open locations in
Uxbridge and
Pembroke.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Official website
{{Supermarkets of the United States
1936 establishments in Massachusetts
American companies established in 1936
Companies based in Springfield, Massachusetts
Economy of the Northeastern United States
New England
Privately held companies based in Massachusetts
Retail companies established in 1936
Supermarkets of the United States
Family-owned companies of the United States