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Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...
that supplies independently owned supermarkets and
grocery A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...
stores. It serves more than 4,000 locations in 36 states in the
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
, the
Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...
, and the
Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
, and from 8 full-line wholesale divisions. The consolidated run-rate sales for AWG is close to $10 billion. In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies which provide certain real estate and supermarket development services,
digital marketing Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online-based Information technology, digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms to promote products and service ...
services, and is a wholesale supply provider of health and beauty care, general merchandise, specialty/international foods and pharmaceutical supplies. It was founded in 1924 as Associated Grocers of Kansas City and was based in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
before moving to
Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...
. Associated Wholesale Grocers distributes four private-label brands of grocery products, ''Best Choice'', ''Clearly Organic'', ''Always Save'', and ''Superior Selections'' along with ''IGA''.


History

AWG's history dates back to 1924 when a group of 20 independent grocers met for the first time to discuss the advantages of combining their buying and advertising power. Competition was fierce in those days with national chains dominating the grocery scene. Independents struggled to compete, and a cooperative effort was viewed as the only way in which to gain market strength. For two years, the group bought collectively and stored their wares in the back of a store owned by J.C. Harline at 39th and Troost in Kansas City, Missouri. In March 1926,
Articles of Incorporation Article often refers to: * Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness * Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication Article(s) may also refer to: ...
were filed. The company's first official warehouse was located in the second floor of the Morehead Grocery Company, at 3842 Troost. In 1953, the company name was changed to Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., (AWG) and the following year, AWG paid its first year-end patronage of $20,441 to members. Prior to 1954, members had received dividends on their stock, usually from .50-.75 per share. By the end of the 1960s, AWG had two new warehouses including one in Springfield. In 2010 a 50,000 square foot facility was built to replace one destroyed by fire, and in Kansas City the long-awaited 565,000 square foot office and warehouse complex was ready for occupancy in 2015. In the late 1980s AWG members bought 40 Food Barn stores and 29 Homeland stores, and the former Homeland warehouse in Oklahoma City became AWG's third division. Valu Merchandisers, AWG's wholly owned subsidiary supplying health and beauty care products and general merchandise, came on line offering a selection of more than 12,000 items from its 219,000 square foot facility in Fort Scott, Kansas. In 2003, AWG expanded into the southeastern United States with the acquisition of two grocery distribution centers: a 737,000 square foot facility in
Goodlettsville, Tennessee Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson and Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner Counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; in 2020, its popul ...
and a 675,000 square foot warehouse in
Southaven, Mississippi Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Memphis metropolitan area, Greater Memphis. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making it the List of municipal ...
. The 2003 acquisition also included a distribution center in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
now operated by AWG's Valu Merchandisers (VMC) subsidiary. VMC supplies general merchandise and specialty foods to its customers from their Memphis facility and health and beauty products from its
Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...
warehouse. In 2007, AWG acquired a distribution center from
Albertsons Albertsons Companies, Inc. is an American grocery company founded and headquartered in Boise, Idaho. With 2,253 stores as of the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 and 270,000 employees as of fiscal year 2019, the company is the second-large ...
in
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. This facility served members in Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. Also in 2007, AWG built a new distribution center in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
. AWG built the 800,000 square foot facility to serve Oklahoma, northern Texas, and southern Kansas. In 2011, AWG broke ground on a division in
Pearl River, Louisiana Pearl River is a town in St. Tammany Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,506 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 2,618 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner metrop ...
. This Gulf Coast Division serves independent retailers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. In 2012, AWG completed a 30,000 square foot expansion of its headquarters in Kansas City, KS. The newly expanded complex houses over one-thousand employees, including the AWG corporate office and the Kansas City distribution center, as well as 100 employees from Valu Merchandisers Company, a wholly owned subsidiary formerly located in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
. AWG's Gulf Coast division, located in Pearl River, Louisiana, began shipping product on January 20, 2013. In 2016, AWG reached an agreement to acquire certain assets of Affiliated Foods Midwest (AFM). AFM, a like-minded retailer-owned cooperative, supplied members that operated more than 800 stores in 15 states. In 2017, AWG began distributing their line of groceries to the Highland, Indiana-based Strack & Van Til food stores. In 2017, AWG announced they would sell their 200-employee, Fort Worth, Texas division. In 2020, AWG announced plans to open distribution hubs in Memphis, Tennessee and
Hernando, Mississippi Hernando is the county seat of DeSoto County, on the northwestern border of Mississippi, United States. The population was 17,138 according to the 2020 census records. It is located on the south side of the Memphis, Tennessee metro area. U.S ...
.


Store concepts

* Apple Market * Cash Saver * Country Mart *
IGA IGA or IgA may refer to: Businesses and organizations * IGA (supermarkets) (initially Independent Grocers Alliance), a name used by many independent supermarkets throughout the world ** IGA (Australian supermarket group), the local Australian v ...
* Price Chopper * Sun Fresh * ThriftWay


Selected members

*Four B (Ball's Food Stores and Hen House Market) *Apple Markets of St. Joseph *Cosentino's *
Harps Food Stores Harps Food Stores, Inc. is an American regional chain of supermarkets based in Springdale, Arkansas. The company operates 151 supermarkets located in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The company ...
*
Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
*
Houchens Industries Houchens Industries, Inc. is an American employee-owned company, in business since 1917 when it began as a small grocery operated by founder Ervin Houchens in rural Barren County, Kentucky. The company is headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ...
*
Market Basket A market basket or commodity bundle is a fixed list of items, in given proportions. Its most common use is to track the progress of inflation in an economy or specific market. That is, to measure the changes in the value of money over time. A ...
*Ray's Apple Markets *
Reasor's Reasor LLC (more simply Reasor's or Reasor's Groceries) is a full-service, regional grocery store chain based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Reasor's has seventeen locations in northeastern Oklahoma. Reasor's has a significant presence in the Tulsa met ...
*Rouse's *RPCS Inc. *Superlo Foods *Thriftway Stores. (Kansas City, MO) *B&R Stores (Super Saver and Russ's Markets) *Gray's Finer Foods (Rockford, Illinois) *GES, Inc. (Edwards Food Giant and Edwards Cash Saver) *Mckeever's Price Chopper *County Fresh (Cash Saver 417, Cash Saver 870, Porter's).


References

{{Reflist


External links


Associated Wholesale Grocers web site
Companies based in Kansas City, Missouri Companies based in Kansas City, Kansas Economy of the Midwestern United States Economy of the Southeastern United States Economy of the Southwestern United States American companies established in 1924 Retail companies established in 1924 Supermarkets of the United States Retailers' cooperatives in the United States 1924 establishments in Missouri Cooperatives based in Kansas