Shopko Stores, Inc. (stylized as SHOPKO, formerly stylized as ShopKo) was a chain of department stores based in
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
. All locations closed on June 23, 2019, with the exception of the Shopko Optical locations, which continue to operate.
The company was founded in 1962 by
James Ruben
Shopko Stores, Inc. (stylized as SHOPKO, formerly stylized as ShopKo) was a chain of department stores based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. All locations closed on June 23, 2019, with the exception of the Shopko Optical locations, which continue to ope ...
as ShopKo Corporation (with upper-case "K"). It opened its first store in 1962 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
From 1991 to 2005, the company was
publicly held
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (li ...
, with stock traded on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...
under the symbol SKO. In December 2005, the company was acquired by an affiliate of
Sun Capital Partners
Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Sun Capital was founded in 1995 by Marc J. Leder and Rodger Krouse, former classmates at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ...
and reverted to private ownership. Starting that year it opened a number of smaller stores named ShopKo Express. In June 2007, the company changed its name to Shopko Stores Inc. (with lower-case "k").
In 1999, Shopko purchased
Pamida, a regional discount chain that operated mainly in smaller communities of 3,000 to 8,000 people. Shopko operated Pamida as a separate division until 2007, when Pamida was separated from Shopko and reestablished as a separate company. In 2012, Shopko and Pamida merged into one company. Shortly after, most Pamida stores were rebranded as Shopko Hometown.
Shopko filed for
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy on January 16, 2019. On March 18, 2019, Shopko announced it would close all of its stores by summer 2019. All stores ceased operations on June 23, 2019.
History
1960s
In March 1961,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
James Ruben and other investors announced the formation of a corporation to open a $1 million ()
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
in
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
, to be called "Shopco".
The store was opened in April 1962 at 216 S. Military Avenue; by that time, the spelling of the name had been changed to "ShopKo", and the company had been registered as "ShopKo Corporation"
ShopKo became one of the first chains to offer such services as a pharmacy and eye care center within the store.
In 1966, a second store "ShopKo East" was opened on Main Street, in Green Bay's east side, followed by several other locations in the state in the following years.
[
In September 1969, the first ShopKo store in ]Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
opened, in Marquette.[
]
1970s
In June 1970, Ruben announced plans for corporate headquarters on Ashland Avenue in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Ashwaubenon ( ) is a village in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 16,991 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Green Bay, Ashwaubenon is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area a ...
. In that same month, ShopKo Corp. was renamed "ShopKo Stores, Inc."
In January 1971, the firm announced plans to merge with SuperValu of Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
.
Also in 1971, the new Ashwaubenon headquarters opened. The merger with SuperValu was completed in April 1971. In August 1971, ShopKo announced plans to open pharmacies
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
in its stores.
In September 1972, Ruben left the company to become president of SuperValu, and William Tyrrell succeeded him.
In 1977, ShopKo topped $100 million in sales.[ Starting in 1978, ShopKo included optical centers in some stores.
]
1980s
In 1983–1985, ShopKo opened a few new locations in a few converted former Copps Department Stores, including Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac met ...
, and Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It lies along the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkinson is the largest city ...
. This was in response to Copps refocusing their efforts on their supermarket business and to make it less of a prime target for shoplifting.
In 1988, a new corporate headquarters opened in Ashwaubenon by the Bay Park Square Mall.The company hit $1 billion () in sales on the strength of 87 stores in 1988.
In February 1989, ShopKo and SuperValu introduce Twin Valu, a hypermarket concept, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 51,114 at the 2020 census. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb in the Akron metropolitan ar ...
, combining the general merchandise of ShopKo with the grocery selection of Cub Foods
Cub is an American supermarket chain. It operates stores in Minnesota and Illinois. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Natural Foods, based in Providence, Rhode Island.
History Beginnings
Cub Foods was founded by Minnesota-based ...
.
1990s
In 1990, ShopKo opened its 100th store, including its first venture in California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
In mid-1991, SuperValu announced that ShopKo would become a publicly traded company. The stock debuted at $15 (~$ in ) a share. Dale Kramer also took over the reins of the company in 1991.
In late 1991, ShopKo introduced a "Vision 2000" prototype model, which opened in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...
, Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
, Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River (Mississippi River ...
, Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is a List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated n ...
, Longmont, Colorado
Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...
, and Lacey, Washington
Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia, Washington, Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Washington, 24th mos ...
, and relocated stores in Marshall, Minnesota
Marshall is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,628 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and 13,906 as of 2023 estimates. Marshall is a regional center in southwest Minnesota ...
, and Mitchell, South Dakota
Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census making it the List of cities in South Dakota, sixth most populous city in South Dako ...
. The construction of the Sheboygan store was affected by the collapse of an exterior wall that killed a stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
, and the store opened with a memorial stone and flagpole overlooking the valley below dedicated in his honor.
In 1996, ShopKo announced plans to merge with Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor (stylized as ) was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael I. Monus, Michael "Mickey" Monus and David Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place ( ...
, an Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
-based chain, but those plans were later called off.
Also in 1997, Phar-Mor split from ShopKo, and ShopKo bought all of SuperValu's stock in the company. ShopKo was among the first retailers in the nation to halt all tobacco sales permanently in the same year.
In 1998 the company acquired Venture Stores
Venture Stores, Inc., was a chain of retail stores aimed at the discount department-store market. John Geisse, formerly of Target Stores, and May Department Stores' executive vice president, Dave Babcock, founded the chain in 1968. Venture Store ...
in Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
and Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
.
In 1999, William Podany became President of ShopKo. He led the acquisition of 147 Pamida stores later that year. ShopKo also launched spin-off pharmaceutical company ProVantage on to the stock market.
Late in 1999, ShopKo opened its first test prototype store in Meridian, Idaho
Meridian is a city located in Ada County, Idaho, Ada County, Idaho, United States. The population was 117,635 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Idaho, 2nd most populous city in the county and Idaho a ...
, named "Beyond 2000," referring to ShopKo's Beyond 2000 merchandising strategy, the successor to the Vision 2000 strategy of the early 1990s.
2000s
In March 2000, shares of ShopKo hit a record $3.57, (~$ in ) up 70% from the year before. Later that year, the firm announced that it would sell ProVantage to Merck & Co. for about $222 million.In May 2000, ShopKo agreed to buy P.M. Place Stores, a 49-location chain, for $22 million (), with plans to convert those locations to Pamidas.
Early in 2001, ShopKo announced the closings of 23 stores and a distribution center, cutting 2,500 jobs and bowing out of Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
.
In April 2002 the company's CEO, William Podany, resigned. Jeffrey Girard became his interim replacement, until Sam Duncan took over in October.
In 2005, ShopKo opened the first few "ShopKo Express" locations, which were smaller, and aimed at competition with Walgreens
Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S.
Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
and CVS Pharmacy #REDIRECT CVS Pharmacy {{R from other capitalisation
Company now has a new name to go along with it's anti-tobacco changes. New name is CVS Health ...
. Around that time, the chain exited the state of Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, and closed its Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
locations. JCPenney
Penney OpCo LLC , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...
acquired some of the Colorado locations.
Late in 2005, ShopKo was acquired by Sun Capital Partners
Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is an American private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Sun Capital was founded in 1995 by Marc J. Leder and Rodger Krouse, former classmates at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ...
.[
In May 2006, Michael MacDonald took over as CEO.]
In 2007, Pamida spun off from ShopKo.
Also in 2007, ShopKo rebranded, dropping the capital camel case
The writing format camel case (sometimes stylized autological, autologically as camelCase or CamelCase, also known as camel caps or more formally as medial capitals) is the practice of writing phrases without spaces or punctuation and with cap ...
"K" in its name and introducing a new logo., but Shopko Express stores retained the older style until fall 2008.
In 2008, Shopko Express expanded into urban markets with the opening of a Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
location, but this store was shuttered less than a year after it was opened.
During the late 2000s, ShopKo started to anchor more shopping centers, such as the ones in Suamico, Wisconsin
Suamico ( ) is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 12,820 at the time of the 2020 census. Suamico is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area, and contains the neighborhood community of Fli ...
and North Branch, Minnesota
North Branch is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, United States, at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 95. The population was 10,787 at the 2020 census. It is named for the north branch of the Sunrise River, which f ...
.
In April 2009, Michael MacDonald resigned as CEO, to become CEO of DSW, Inc., and was replaced by W. Paul Jones.
In late 2009, Shopko started online shopping service.
2010s
In May 2010, Shopko outsourced its IT services to HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies Limited ( d/b/a HCLTech) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) consulting company headquartered in Noida. Founded by Shiv Nadar, it was spun out in 1991 when HCL entered into the software services business. ...
, based in Chennai, India
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian censu ...
.
In the summer of 2010, Shopko opened its first two "Shopko Hometown" stores, which were converted from Pamida locations.
In 2011, Shopko placed even more emphasis on its Hometown subsidiary, opening nine new locations and closing regular stores to focus on the Hometown stores.
In 2012, a decade after it spun off from Shopko, Pamida merged with Shopko; all Pamida stores were rebranded as Shopko Hometown stores. The total cost for the remodel was estimated at $80 million.
Later in 2012, W. Paul Jones resigned from the company's top post and Mike Bettiga took over as interim CEO.
In 2013, Peter McMahon was named Shopko's new CEO.
In 2015, due to bankruptcy, Shopko acquired 20 ALCO Stores locations with the plan of converting them to Hometown locations. Shopko also changed its slogan to "The Stuff that Counts".
Late in 2016, Shopko closed four stores due to poor sales but also opened one in Ely, Nevada
Ely (, ) is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered. Ely's mining boom came later tha ...
.
In November 2016 Shopko launched its first credit card.
In late 2016 and early 2017 the firm also remodeled its larger stores to include some groceries, with limited frozen and perishable goods (mainly frozen pizza and dairy products).
Chapter 11 and liquidation
On December 4, 2018 Shopko confirmed that it was closing 39 stores. The following day, Bloomberg
Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...
reported that Sun Capital had failed to find a buyer for Shopko and that the capital partners found a Chapter 11 situation increasingly likely.
Shopko began closing its pharmacies in December 2018 and selling its patient records to local competitors including Walgreens
Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S.
Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuit ...
, CVS, Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee, Inc. (), is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, with stores planned in ...
and 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 Cinc ...
. On January 8, 2019, McKesson Corporation
McKesson Corporation is a publicly traded American company that distributes Medication, pharmaceuticals and provides health information technology, Medical device, medical supplies, and Health administration, health management tools. The company ...
filed a suit against Shopko, seeking $67 million () in delinquent payments. Along with the announcement, it was reported that Shopko could file for bankruptcy as early as January 15. On January 16, 2019, Shopko filed for Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
bankruptcy in Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
court, citing tough market competition and assets of less than $1 billion compared to liabilities of up to $10 billion (). Shopko also announced the closure of another 105 of its 363 stores, including its original Military Ave. store in Green Bay.
On February 7, 2019, Shopko confirmed the closure of 251 stores or 70 percent of its locations closing in phases between March 2, 2019 and May 12, 2019. The list included 77 Shopko stores, 165 Hometown Values stores, both the 2 standalone pharmacies, and all 7 Express stores. Shopko will exit the states of California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
On March 18, 2019, Shopko announced the closure of all remaining stores, after being unable to find a buyer for the chain. Liquidation sales ran through the summer.
On April 22, 2019, Shopko announced to employees that despite the fact that the company signed a contract for severance pay, only certain states would actually be paid. In April 2019, Monarch Alternative Capital LP purchased Shopko's optical operations for $8.5 million (). The optical centers continued to operate inside the otherwise-shuttered store locations until smaller locations could be found.
Several former Shopko locations have been repurposed. The former Shopko Hometowns in St Peter and New Prague, Minnesota have become Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee, Inc. (), is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, with stores planned in ...
supermarkets. A former Shopko in Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The ...
was converted into a mixed-use space intended to house a restaurant, indoor ice rink, and indoor event center which opened in 2023. Several former locations were bought by Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee, Inc. (), is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, with stores planned in ...
and converted into their Dollar Fresh Market subsidiary.
Organization
Shopko
By the time it ceased operations, the company operated 363 stores in 24 states including, but not limited to, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
, Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
, Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
, Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. Stores were typically placed in small to mid-sized communities. Most Shopko stores were located in strip mall
A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...
s, shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
s, power centers, or freestanding locations. Shopko, with partnerships from Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Bellin Health and other local hospitals, also operated walk-in clinics inside its stores called FastCare.
Past slogans include "Say hello to a good buy at ShopKo", "ShopKo discounts the price...not the quality.", "We won't be undersold.", "ShopKo: Discover for Yourself", "ShopKo - The Store for You.", "ShopKo - Your Lifestyle, Your Pricestyle.", "Shopko - Neat stuff, neat store." and "My life...my style...my store". Shopko's last slogan was "The Stuff that Counts", which was used from 2015 to 2019. The slogan for Shopko Express pharmacy was "Every day. On your way."
Karen McDiarmid was Shopko's spokesperson in the 1980s and 1990s.
Shopko sponsored the exhibition hall
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
venue portion of the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena
The Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena (more commonly known as the Brown County Arena) was a 5,248-seat multi-purpose arena in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, situated on the corner of Lombardi Avenue and Oneida Street, across from Lambeau Field. The ...
/Resch Center
The Resch Center is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena, in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, United States built in 2002. It is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team, the Green Bay Gamblers ice hockey team, ...
complex, known as Shopko Hall. Unrelated to the bankruptcy in any case, Shopko Hall closed on April 28, 2019 with the BCVMA and was demolished, and was replaced with a new expo hall known as the Resch Expo.
Subsidiaries
Shopko Express
Shopko Express (stylized as ) was a chain of pharmacies owned by Shopko. Shopko Express carried a limited selection of general merchandise, groceries, beer, wine, health and beauty supplies, and over-the-counter medicines. Shopko Express also carried lottery tickets.
Shopko Hometown
In 2012 Shopko acquired Pamida and all former Pamida locations then operated as Shopko Hometown stores. Shopko Hometown stores were aimed at smaller communities ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 in population. They carried about 70% of the merchandise of Shopko's larger stores. The first two stores opened in 2010 in Oconto, Wisconsin
Oconto is a city and county seat of Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,609 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The city is located partially within the town of Oconto.
History
Oconto ...
and Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menom ...
inside converted Pamida locations. In 2015, 20 locations were acquired from the bankrupt ALCO Stores chain, and were converted into Shopko Hometown stores.
Payless ShoeSource
In 1999, Shopko signed a contract with Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource Worldwide, LLC (formerly known as Payless ShoeSource Inc.), was an American multinational discount footwear chain. Established in 1956 by cousins Louis and Shaol Pozez. Payless was a privately held company owned by Blum Capit ...
, leasing the floorspace to the shoe chain within Shopko stores with prominent front signage, replacing the previous contract with J. Baker, Inc. as the retailer in charge of the discount shoe department. The changeover was completed by late June 2000. After filing for bankruptcy for the second time in February 2019, Payless ShoeSource coincidentally closed its stores at the same time Shopko was also closing.
Private-label brands
Shopko sold an assortment of private-label store-brand products, primarily in apparel and general merchandise. Popular brands included Shopko, Willow Bay, Bailey's Point, NorthCrest, Energy Zone, Soft Sensations, Peanut & Ollie and Green Soda.
Acquisitions
*Shopko
** Copps Department Store (Copps Department Stores were the forerunners to the current superstore concept, carrying groceries and general merchandise. When Copps, the Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Stevens Point is a city in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 25,666 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It forms the core of the Stevens Point micropolitan statistical area, which had a p ...
-based retailer left the general merchandise half of the retail business to focus on selling groceries through their Copps Food Center chain in 1983, many former Copps Department Store locations were converted to ShopKo, as well as other retailers, including ShopKo's discount store rivals Prange Way, Kmart
Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...
and Woolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio, by the F. W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At ...
, as well as Wisconsin-based home improvement retailer Menards
Menard, Inc., doing business as Menards, ( ) is an American big-box home improvement retail chain headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is the third-largest home improvement retailer in the United States (behind Lowe's and Home Depot), wit ...
.)
**Penn-Daniels/Jack's
**Venture (most locations; by the end, only the former Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
, location remained operating at the time of Shopko's closure.)
**Parade Stores
**PayLess Discount Stores
**The former Kmart
Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...
store in Wenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, Chelan County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. ...
.
*Shopko Hometown
**Pamida
**ALCO
**P.M. Place/Place's
Distribution
Distribution and transportation was managed by Spectrum America Supply Chain Solutions, a subsidiary of Metro Supply Chain group created in 2016. Shopko's distribution centers were located in De Pere, Wisconsin
De Pere ( ) is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area.
History
When the first European, Jean Nicolet, visited the p ...
, Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, Quincy, Illinois
Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...
and Boise, Idaho
Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...
.
See also
* ALCO Stores
* P.M. Place Stores
*Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor (stylized as ) was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael I. Monus, Michael "Mickey" Monus and David Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place ( ...
* SuperValu
* Twin Valu
* Venture
References
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External links
Official website
(now for Shopko Optical only)
Companies based in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Economy of the Midwestern United States
Economy of the Northwestern United States
Defunct discount stores of the United States
Defunct companies based in Wisconsin
American companies established in 1962
Retail companies established in 1962
Retail companies disestablished in 2019
American companies disestablished in 2019
Private equity portfolio companies
1962 establishments in Wisconsin
2019 disestablishments in Wisconsin
Health care companies based in Wisconsin
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019
2005 mergers and acquisitions