The Top Five Super Markets in the U.S. and a "Food Fight" at one of Them

by Bill Russo

April 2015:  Consumer reports has just listed its picks for the top five super market chains in the United States.  Coming in at Number One  Wegman's,  a Rochester NY based regional chain of about a hundred stores.  There is no Wegman's on Cape Cod where I live but there is at least one in Massachusetts (Chestnut Hill).  The family controlled firm does about $7 billion a year.


The second best super market according to
Consumer reports is the fabulous Florida chain, Publix.  It is wholly owned by employees, past and present and has about a thousand stores, most of them in "The Sunshine State."  A solid entrant in the 'Fortune 500', Publix generates an annual revenue stream of more than $27 billion dollars.

Landing the third spot on the CR list is the quirky California 400 store behemoth "Trader Joe's". While regular super markets carry some 50,000 items, TJs has less than 5,000 and most of those carry the TJ label.  Despite the limited selection the stores have a cult like following, not to mention "Two Buck Chuck", a cheap wine designed to sell at $2.00 a bottle although for various reasons, "Two Buck Chuck" is often  "Three Buck Chuck", which does not sound as good to the ear or feel as good to the pocketbook.  TJ's has a regional office in Massachusetts and a number of stores in the Bay State and New England.  There is only one TJ's on Cape Cod.  It is in the capital of the Cape, Hyannis and is next to the Flagship Store of the Christmas Tree Shoppes.

The fourth best store group on the CR chart is a 100 store grocery outfit called 'Fareway', based in Ohio.

The fifth best super market chain in the "States" is the New England based "Market Basket."  Market Basket (AKA Demoulas Super Markets) operates about six dozen locations in New England but has just one store near Cape Cod, home to 200,000 year round residents and about a million seasonal people and tourists. 

The Cape store is located at the very start of the peninsula, by the Canal.  Like TJ's, this chain has a cult following and some people make a weekly 60 mile trip up the Mid Cape highway  from as far away as Wellfleet, Eastham and even P-town to get to that lone Cape Cod store.  

Speaking of Market Basket..........................................

The Market Basket Family Wars are about to go to the movies.  A total of 607 people reached into their wallets and drew out $66,790.00 for a "Kickstarter" campaign to fund a feature documentary called "Food Fight" that will depict the story of the wild family battle that nearly ruined a Massachusetts based regional supermarket with 71 stores in three states.

Like the American Civil War more than two centuries before, families were split in two and brother fought brother in skirmishes that could have meant the death of the billion dollar chain.  Starting more than 25 years ago, the conflict came down to a last stand in the Summer of 2014, when 'cousin' fired 'cousin' to set the stage for the final battle.


All during  the summer of 2014, the drama was enacted in scores of towns,  involving more than ten thousand employess in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

When cousin Arthur was fired by the other cousin, also Arthur, as the company's CEO it set off the war which the New York Times labelled "The last stand for the middle class."  The charismatic 'fired' cousin, Arthur T. Demoulas,  rallied the thousands of non union employees against a new management team.

It's pretty confusing but was the highest drama in New England all last Summer.  It even got more press than Tom Brady's under inflated footballs.

Jay Childs is the man behind the documentary and he appeared recently on New Hampshire Public Radio to explain his project. He hopes to begin screening "FOOD FIGHT" by this Summer.   Here's the link to the transcript of the interview:  http://nhpr.org/…/portsmouth-filmmakers-documentary-chronic…