Belle Foods, LLC was a family-owned
chain of
American supermarkets headquartered in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. The company had a relatively short lifespan. It began operating its rebranded
Bruno's
Bruno's Supermarkets, LLC was an American chain of grocery stores with its headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was founded in 1932 by Joseph Bruno in Birmingham. During the company's pinnacle, it operated over 300 stores under the names Br ...
and Food World and
Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable fo ...
Stores on July 1, 2012, but filed for bankruptcy just one year later.
Before owners Bill White and Jeff White purchased the stores from
Southern Family Markets in mid-2012, the 57-store grocery chain employed approximately 3,000 people.
Belle Foods filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2013, exactly one year after its founding. The company cited increased competition and higher payroll taxes as factors in its bankruptcy filing.
In September 2013,
Associated Wholesale Grocers
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the United States's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets and grocery stores. It serves more than 4,000 locations in 36 states and from 8 full-line wholesale divisions ...
was the only bidder (in a
stalking horse bid) for Belle Foods stores being auctioned and offered $16.1 million.
AWG is a Lone Bidder for Belle Foods; The Associated Grocers could have several new stores
/ref>
Belle Foods was named "Retailer of the Year" in late 2012 by the Birmingham Business Journal
The ''Birmingham Business Journal'' is a weekly business newspaper published in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1983 by Michael C. Randle and Tina Verciglio-Savas and became a part of American City Business Journal ...
.
References
External links
Official WebsiteC&S Wholesale GrocersH-E-B Depositing Cryptocurrency Machines
{{Supermarkets of the United States
Supermarkets of the United States
Companies based in Birmingham, Alabama
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013
Economy of the Southeastern United States
2012 establishments in Alabama