 |
|
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1934 |
| Founder(s) | J. Merton Rosauer |
| Headquarters | Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Number of locations | 22 (2012) |
| Key people | Jeff Philipps (President, CEO) |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor |
| Employees | 2,100 (2011)[1] |
| Parent | URM Stores |
| Divisions | Super 1 Foods Huckleberry's Natural Market |
| Website | www.rosauers.com |
Rosauers Supermarkets, Inc. is a chain of supermarkets based in Spokane, Washington. After the company's founder, J. Merton Rosauer, sold Rosauers to Spokane-based URM Stores in 1984, it eventually grew to 22 stores under the Huckleberry's Natural Market, Rosauers, and Super 1 Foods brands. Rosauers' stores are located in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Contents |
History [edit]
In 1934, J. Merton Rosauer purchased a small grocery store in Spokane, Washington after obtaining a $1,000 loan from his parents.[1] By 1938, Rosauer sold his first store and invested in another grocery store.[1] After selling off his second store, Rosauer opened his and Spokane's first supermarket in 1949.[1]
In 1984, prior to retiring, Rosauer sold the company to URM Stores, a grocery supplier based in Spokane.[1] By June 1986, Rosauers was operating 25 stores in four U.S. states with about 1,500 employees.[2]
In September 1989, the Board of Directors for URM Stores made the decision to sell of the Rosauers chain.[1] URM Stores agreed to sell 15 of the 24 Rosauers stores through an employee stock ownership plan in February 1990.[3]
On April 10, 1990, Spokane employees of Rosauers voted to accept amendments to their labor contracts that would allow the employee purchase of the company.[3] With 425 of the 700 eligible employees voting, the final count was 377 for and 48 against the company's sale.[3] The sale was completed on July 27, 1990, with the company's 1,250 employees receiving ownership of 15 supermarkets, one freestanding pharmacy, an ice cream plant, and the corporate office building.[1]
On June 13, 2000, Rosauers announced URM Stores had completed the purchase of Rosauers after more than 1,800 of Rosauers' employees voted in favor of the sale.[4] During June 2000, Rosauers was operating 19 stores in the Inland Northwest.[4] Following the acquisition, URM Stores became the fourth-largest employer in Spokane County.[4] Since the sale to URM, Rosauers has opened two more stores in Yakima, Washington (2002[5]) and Bozeman, Montana (2007[6])
In December 2008, Rosauers was forced to temporarily close its store on Francis Street in Spokane after 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of the store's roof collapsed.[7] Spokane fire officials said no one was trapped in the debris and only a minor injury to a Rosauers employee was reported.[8] The damage estimate for the roof collapse at the Francis Street location topped $1 million.[9]
In March 2011, Rosauers announced its plans to enter southern Idaho in 2012 with a store in Meridian, Idaho.[10] The Meridian store features a Huckleberry's Natural Market and a cooking school.[10] Rosauers said additional stores are a possibility for the Treasure Valley if the Meridian store performs well.[10]
Controversy [edit]
On November 17, 1993, Rosauers was assessed $50,450 in civil fines for violating federal child labor laws at eight of its Spokane-area stores.[11] Rosauers president Larry Geller said most of the violations involved one or two hours over the 18-hour weekly limit set for employees under age 16.[11]
In April 2013, Ally Robledo, a 25-year-old transgendered customer was banned the chain's location in Lewiston, Idaho after several customers complained when she used the women’s restroom.[12] Lewiston police were called and delivered a "no trespass" order to Robledo as she left the grocery store.[12] Local and national news covered the story and some community members and groups have taken to raise awareness about transgendered discrimination by highlighting this event.[12]
Huckleberry's Natural Market [edit]
In 1996, Rosauers opened the first Huckleberry's Natural Market on Spokane's South Hill.[13] After proving to be a success, Rosauers opened another Huckleberry's in Spokane Valley in December 1996.[14] The Spokane Valley store was eventually closed while the South Hill store remains in business.[13] Since 1996, Rosauers has added Huckleberry's Natural Market sections to its new and existing stores.[13]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "History". Rosauers Supermarkets. 2009.
- ^ "Rosauers expands in North Idaho". The Spokesman-Review. 6/24/1986.
- ^ a b c "Spokane Rosauers workers OK purchase plan". The Spokesman-Review. 4/11/1990.
- ^ a b c "Sale of Super 1's parent company is completed". Ellensburg Daily Record. 6/15/2000.
- ^ "Rosauers to open store in Yakima". The Spokesman-Review. 6/13/2001.
- ^ "State briefs: Rosauers plans to open Bozeman store". Helena Independent Record. 10/30/2006.
- ^ "Rosauers roof collapses; winds close roads". The Spokesman-Review. 12/29/2008.
- ^ "Supermarket roof collapses in snowy Spokane, Wash.". Fox News. 12/29/2008.
- ^ "Baptist church's roof, others collapse". The Spokesman-Review. 12/30/2008.
- ^ a b c "New specialty grocery store to open in Meridian". Idaho Business Review. 3/23/2011.
- ^ a b "Rosauers fined for labor violations". The Spokesman-Review. 11/18/1993.
- ^ a b c "Ally Robledo, Transgender Woman, Banned From Idaho Grocery Store". The Huffington Post. 4/15/2013.
- ^ a b c "Rosauers now includes Huckleberry's". The Spokesman-Review. 1/17/2009.
- ^ "Rosauers to convert store to new format". The Spokesman-Review. 12/21/1996.
External links [edit]
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