JayC Food Stores is an American supermarket chain based in

Petersburg, Indiana Petersburg is a city within Washington Township and the county seat of Pike County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,383 at the 2010 census. Petersburg is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Petersburg w ...

. , the chain operates 64 stores in

Southern Indiana Southern Indiana is a region consisting of the southern third of the state of Indiana. The region's history and geography has led to a blend of Northern and Southern culture distinct from the remainder of Indiana. It is often considered to be par ...

. JayC has been a division of

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinci ...

since 1999.

History

Early history

JayC was founded in 1863 by Swiss immigrant John C. Groub, who with his wife Elizabeth opened the chain's first store on South Chestnut Street in the city of Seymour. The success of the business allowed them to move to larger premises in 1871 and add a wholesale department. Profits by 1885 had reached

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

80,000. John C. Groub died in 1888, passing the management of the company to his son Theodore and his son-in-law William Masters, an experienced grocer. Theodore later handed the running of the company to his sons Thomas and John. The company's grocery wholesale business waned in the 1910s and 1920s, prompting the company to concentrate more on retail. Under the name of JayC Food Store of Scottsburg, adopted in 1927, the company grew to a peak of 44 retail locations in the 1940s. From the 1960s to the 1980s, JayC reduced the number of locations it operated and expanded the size of those it kept to offer a wider selection of foods. By 1994, JayC had 900 employees, and by 1997 had grown to more than 2,700, making it the largest private retail employer in Indiana. By the end of 1998 the company operated 30 stores, including three Foods Plus locations and three

Ruler Foods Ruler Foods, Inc. is a discount warehouse store grocery chain in the United States, currently owned by Kroger, and headquartered in Seymour, Indiana. It is a no-frills grocery store where 80% of the offerings are Kroger Brand, the customers bag ...

store locations (JayC's discount banner).

Acquisition by Kroger

In January 1999, the John C. Groub Co. was acquired by

, which continues to operate 22 JayC locations. The Foods Plus stores have been renamed to JayC Plus. Under the ownership of Kroger, the JayC division grew its

brand to 13 stores at the end of 2012, including the first store outside of Indiana. Some of the added Ruler Foods were conversions from the JayC brand, which has 23 stores at the end of 2012. A major remodel project for the Columbus, Indiana JayC Foods (store #008) is planned to begin in August 2016. The remodel will include updates and improvements to the existing store infrastructure, expansion of the beer and wine selection, adjustments to grocery stock that will result in an increase of in-stock product size options as well as product varieties based on information gathered from JayC Foods (store #008) customer purchase data and/or JayC Foods (store #008) customer request history, changes to some aisles in regard to length/width/shelving structure, updates to check-out stations, and other improvements for functionality and customer satisfaction increases. Information regarding additions of an in-store pharmacy and/or self-check-out stations have been rumored but are not confirmed at this time to be included parts of the 2016 remodel plan for the Columbus, Indiana location of JayC Foods (store #008). Changes to store management, store operating name, or divisional inclusion are not expected parts of the 2016 remodel project as of this date.

Today

As of 2018, JayC has been included in the Kroger Louisville division, with Ruler Foods now having its own division.

References

External links

JayC Food Stores homepageThe Kroger Company
{{Supermarkets of the United States Kroger Companies based in Indiana American companies established in 1862 Retail companies established in 1862 Supermarkets of the United States 1862 establishments in Indiana Jackson County, Indiana