National Food Stores.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
mikeparkridge
Contributor
Posts: 43
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 19:13

National Food Stores.

Post by mikeparkridge »

Anyone know when it went out of bussiness?
wnetmacman
Veteran
Posts: 378
Joined: 06 Nov 2005 23:48

It depends....

Post by wnetmacman »

The National we all knew that was left in St. Louis and New Orleans was a part of Loblaw of Canada, and Loblaw is still in business. Loblaw sold the final two divisions in 1995. There are still a few National stores in St. Louis, and these stores are owned by a group of former managers. Schwegmann Bros. bought the New Orleans division from Schnucks, who had bought both areas. Schnucks is still operating, but Schwegmann, burdened from years of bad decisions, went completely out of business in 1999.
Scott Greer
mikeparkridge
Contributor
Posts: 43
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 19:13

Post by mikeparkridge »

Should of asked this originally but I also know they were in the Chicago area as well and had to have pulled out long before they folded. When was that?
natl_stl_fan2284

National

Post by natl_stl_fan2284 »

National has gone completely out of business. Loblaw's sold the St. Louis and New Orleans divisions in 1995 to Schnuck Markets, Inc. of St. Louis.(Schnucks did not want the New Orleans stores and sold them off.) Of the 57 Nationals here in St. Louis, 6 were closed immediately and 18, along with 6 Schnucks stores, had to be sold within one year (by June '96) to competitors. 23 of those 24 stores were bought by the Family Company of America, formed by a group of former National Supermarkets executives. They ran the stores as National Markets (they could not use the National Supermarkets name or the former Loblaw's logo, although the logo remained on some of the stores) and two were renamed Gibson's Markets for James Gibson, the principal backer of the new company who later became President of Family Co.

The Family Co. closed 5 stores in 1997, one in 1998, and the rest of them closed in April, 1999 when Family Co. went bankrupt. It was later found out that James Gibson stole $$ from his investment clients to pay for the stores.

While National does not exist, some of its former stores remain open. Some are still Schnucks stores from the buyout in '95, although many of these have been replaced. Others have become other grocery stores or other businesses.

I have a website for the St. Louis division of National - http://www.geocities.com/natl_stl2284
I hope you will check it out and give me any feedback you may have.

Should you want to use pictures, please get permission for any without a credited source. Thanks!
User avatar
Groceteria
Great Pumpkin
Posts: 1927
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 12:13
Location: In the breakroom
Contact:

Post by Groceteria »

mikeparkridge wrote:Should of asked this originally but I also know they were in the Chicago area as well and had to have pulled out long before they folded. When was that?
National left Chicago in 1976, selling about half their stores to A&P.
Post Reply