New Supermarket Chain Coming to Montana: Here’s What to Expect

In what is considered one of the largest retail takeovers in American history, a major supermarket chain has announced plans to sell over 400 stores across the country. 12 of the stores are located in Montana, Wyoming, and Utah.

COMPANY PURCHASES 12 STORES IN MONTANA, WYOMING, AND UTAH

In September 2023, Kroger and Albertsons announced plans to sell several stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers. The company reportedly operates a few dozen grocery stores, including a number of Piggly Wiggly stores in Wisconsin and the Southest. Albertsons currently has 30 locations in Montana, 10 in Wyoming, and 2 in Utah. Among them, 12 locations will be transferred to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

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Specific details of the merger have not been released. The merger will not close until after January 17, 2024. Kroger has yet to announce which stores in Montana will be affected, or whether or not any stores in the state will close as a result of the merger.

Montana, Wyoming, and Utah aren't the only states that will be impacted. Several states throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the country have stores the will be transferred due to the merger.

WHAT IS C&S WHOLESALE GROCERS?

C&S Wholesale Grocers is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. The company is based out of New Hampshire and has over 50 distribution centers in 16 states. One of the most well known grocery stores affiliated with C&S Wholesale Grocers in Piggly Wiggly.

WHAT IS PIGGLY WIGGLY?

According to the Piggly Wiggly website, here's a brief history of the company.

Piggly Wiggly®, America’s first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by Clarence Saunders. In grocery stores of that time, shoppers presented their orders to clerks who then gathered the goods from the store shelves. Saunders, a dynamic and innovative man, noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and expense, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves.

To clarify, C&S Wholesale Grocers has not announced plans to open any Piggly Wiggly stores in Montana, Wyoming, or Utah. At this point, it it simply speculation.