Schnucks is a
supermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain. Based in
suburban St. LouisSt. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
, the company was started in 1939 with the opening of a 1000 square feet (92.9 m²) store in north
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
city and now operates 100 stores in five states throughout the midwest. Schnucks also runs stores under the
Logli Supermarkets and
Hilander Foods banners. Schnucks is one of the largest privately held supermarket chains in the United States.
History
Edwin and Anna Schnuck, with sons Donald and Edward, founded Schnuck Markets, Inc., in St. Louis in 1939. In 1946, its first large-scale retail store was opened, measuring 2700 square feet (250.8 m²). By 1952, its first major store was opened in
BrentwoodBrentwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 8,055 at the 2010 census. Brentwood is home to Brentwood High School, a 2006 National Blue Ribbon Award winner, and Mark Twain Elementary School, a 2009 National Blue Ribbon Award...
, a St. Louis suburb. (It became a Goodwill store.) The Schnucks symbol, a soldier, was introduced in 1968, (during the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
). Schnucks continued to grow, acquiring stores in
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
,
IndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
,
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
,
MississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
,
MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
,
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, and
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Schnucks underwent a major expansion in 1995 when it purchased from
LoblawsLoblaws is a supermarket chain with over 70 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Ontario and Quebec. Loblaws is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest food distributor...
the
National SupermarketsNational Supermarkets was the second largest grocery chain in both the St. Louis, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana areas of the United States. Both firms were owned by Loblaw Companies of Canada, but in June 1995, they were sold by Loblaw to Schnucks Markets...
chain, also based in St. Louis. (A previous merger in 1970 had seen Schnucks acquire the
Bettendorf-Rapp chain of grocery stores—temporarily forming the Schnucks-Bettendorf's chain until the latter half of the combined name was dropped a couple of years later—just as Bettendorf's had swallowed up the Rapp chain of stores to form Bettendorf-Rapp's in the 1960s.)
Schnucks' growth in the St. Louis area was bolstered by the local abandonment of two major supermarket chains: A&P in the 1970s, and
KrogerThe Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
in 1986.
Expansion
In 2008 Schnucks acquired grocery store
Hart Food and Drug in O'Fallon, making it the fifth Schnucks in
St. Clair County, IllinoisSt. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
.
In August 2009, Schnucks opened a store in downtown St. Louis. This store, in the heart of the downtown business district, is called "Culinaria – A Schnucks Market" and is being advertised as a "new urban prototype." The store includes 20800 square feet (1,932.4 m²) of shopping space, an additional 6306 square feet (585.8 m²) mezzanine with a wine department, tapas/wine bar, a full-service pharmacy, meat and seafood departments, a sushi bar, florist, bakery, and a Kaldi's Coffee bar. The placement of the store reflects the downtown area's urban renewal of the 21st century, including loft-style condominiums and apartments. (See
Washington Avenue Loft District, St. LouisThe Washington Avenue Historic District is located in Downtown West, St. Louis, Missouri along Washington Avenue, and bounded by Delmar Boulevard to the north, Locust Street to the south, 8th Street on the east, and 18th Street on the west. The buildings date from the late 19th century to the early...
and
Downtown St. LouisDowntown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Jefferson Avenue...
.)
In 2002, Schnucks agreed to buy 12
Seessel'sSeessel's Supermarkets was an upscale grocery chain in Memphis, Tennessee, owned by Albertsons, Inc. It was acquired by Schnucks in 2002, which rebranded the stores Schnucks.-History:...
stores in the Memphis, Tennessee area, from Albertsons, Inc. Schnuck's was interested in Seessel's in 1992, but no deal was made for 10 years. Schnucks operated these stores until September 2011.
KrogerThe Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
subsequently purchased these stores; eight are to reopen as Kroger, with the others closing altogether. Seven convenience stores operating under the Schnucks name also were sold, to be converted to the Kroger-owned brand
Kwik Shop.
In 2011, Schnucks purchased seven Rockford, Illinois area Hilander stores from The Kroger Co. In September 2011. Schnucks plans to keep the stores running under the Hilander banner.
Leadership
In 2006, Craig Schnuck announced he would become chairman of the executive committee while his brother Scott assumed the role as chairman and CEO. Todd Schnuck is the president and COO. Craig, former CEO, is active in day-to-day decisions as chairman of the executive committee. The company continues to be family owned, with the fourth generation now working for the company.
In 2007, Schnucks decided to better compete with Walmart, beginning a campaign called "Recipe for Success". Schnucks also began a program where it lowered prices on 10,000 items to be more competitive with Walmart. Scott, Todd, and Craig led the plan, which included making their employees knowledgeable on the food they sold.
On October 13, 2008, Schnucks "announced the purchase of two Illinois grocery stores and the acquisition of a lease on a third store, all formerly owned and operated by the Sher family, also of St. Louis."
Pharmacy
The first Schnucks Pharmacy was opened in March 1970. As of 20xx, there are 95 in-store pharmacies across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa. The quality of the healthcare provided by Schnucks Pharmacy was recognized when it was named "Pharmacy Chain of the Year 2008" by Drug Topics Newsmagazine. Schnucks offers over 50 generic prescriptions that can be filled for $4 for a 30-day supply, or $10 for a 90-day supply. The pharmacy also fills prescriptions for seven different generic antibiotics for free, with up to a 21-day supply. More recently, Schnucks Pharmacy launched a program offering certain
prenatal vitaminsPrenatal vitamins are vitamin supplements intended to be taken before and during pregnancy and during postnatal lactation. Although not intended to replace a healthy diet, prenatal vitamins provide women of child bearing age with nutrients recognized by the various health organizations including...
at no cost for a month's supply.
In addition to low-cost prescriptions, Schnucks Pharmacy also offers a
crutchCrutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits walking ability.- Types :There are several different types of crutches:...
loan program where customers can pick up a pair of crutches for a small deposit that is refunded when they are returned.
Charitable contributions
Schnucks has supported causes, including the United Way, The Salvation Army Tree of Lights,
Susan G. Komen for the CureSusan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US....
, St. Louis Variety - The Children's Charity, and Operation Food Search.
Uniform
The Schnucks employees' uniform includes faded blue denim collared shirts with an embroidered Schnucks soldier or a navy blue polo. The uniform also requires employees to wear khaki pants. Store management typically wears green, white, navy blue, or sometimes beige shirts.
See also
- Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
largest supermarket chain in the United States, that used to be in St. Louis
- National Supermarkets
National Supermarkets was the second largest grocery chain in both the St. Louis, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana areas of the United States. Both firms were owned by Loblaw Companies of Canada, but in June 1995, they were sold by Loblaw to Schnucks Markets...
a former St. Louis chain of Supermarkets, based out of Canada
External links