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Piggly Wiggly to make New York debut

Iconic supermarket banner enters Northeast market

Russell Redman

March 2, 2022

2 Min Read
Piggly Wiggly store banner-closeup-from JTM Corp.jpg
Currently, C&S licenses the Piggly Wiggly banner to over 600 independent grocery stores in 17 states.JTM Corp.

This week, the famed Piggly Wiggly grocery retail banner will mark its entry into the Northeast with the opening of a store in Watertown, N.Y.

Distributor C&S Wholesale Grocers, the parent of Piggly Wiggly LLC, said Wednesday that the new Piggly Wiggly will hold a grand opening event on March 3, following a soft launch on Feb. 18. The upstate New York store, located at 1330 Washington St. in Watertown, is operated by GU Markets LLC, an affiliate of C&S.

Piggly Wiggly meat dept-from JTM Corp.jpgMost Piggly Wiggly stores are situated in the South and Southeast. Excluding the New York store, the closest location to the Northeast is in Ohio, which has five Piggly Wigglys. (Photo courtesy of JTM Corp.)

Keene, N.H.-based C&S acquired the Watertown store through its purchase of 12 Tops Markets locations in November. Of the Tops stores, 10 in New York — including another Watertown location — and one in Vermont have been converted to Grand Union supermarkets, run by GU Markets, and are holding grand openings this week.

“We are very excited to bring this beloved brand to New York,” C&S Wholesale Grocers CEO Bob Palmer said in a statement. “Piggly Wiggly has been an icon in the supermarket industry since its first store opening in the 1900s. When we purchased the 12 stores that became available due to the Tops Markets merger with Price Chopper/Market 32, we immediately knew that this location was the right opportunity to enter the Northeast market and showcase why this is a supermarket that creates braggingly happy customers.”

Related:C&S Wholesale Grocers readies Grand Union relaunch

Currently, C&S licenses the Piggly Wiggly banner to more than 600 independently owned and operated supermarkets in 17 states through its Piggly Wiggly LLC subsidiary. Most of the stores are located in the South and Southeast, with Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and the Carolinas having the most locations. But besides New York, there are also Piggly Wigglys in Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Last summer, C&S expanded its Midwestern footprint with the purchase of Piggly Wiggly Midwest, a Sheboygan, Wis.-based food wholesaler. Under the deal, C&S acquired 11 corporate-run Piggly Wiggly stores and began serving 84 Piggly Wiggly franchisees in Wisconsin plus 14 Butera Market supermarkets in the Chicagoland region.

Independent supermarkets bearing the Piggly Wiggly banner also are supplied by Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. The website for the Bessemer, Ala.-based cooperative said the company serves more than 270 stores in seven states.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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