Jump to content

WinCo Foods: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
{{redirect|Winco|the power generator manufacturing company|Winco Inc.}}
No edit summary
Tag: Reverted
Line 21: Line 21:
'''WinCo Foods, Inc.''' is a [[Privately held company|privately held]], majority [[employee stock ownership|employee-owned]]<ref name=SN2013-06>{{cite news |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/winco-s-employee-owners-speak-out |title=WinCo's Employee-Owners Speak Out |first=Elliot |last=Zwiebach |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WinCo Foods LLC Company Profile|url=http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.WINCO_FOODS_LLC.bc16617e78954374.html|website=Hoovers|publisher=Dun & Bradstreet|access-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref><ref name="grocery">{{cite web |url=http://www.grocery.com/winco-foods/ |title=WinCo Foods |date=March 7, 2012 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |quote="Eighty percent of the company is employee owned."}}</ref> American [[supermarket]] chain based in [[Boise, Idaho]], with retail stores in [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Oregon]], [[Texas]],<ref>{{cite news |title=WinCo sets first two Texas openings |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/winco-sets-first-two-texas-openings |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=January 31, 2014}}</ref> [[Utah]], and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. It was founded in 1967 as a no-frills [[Warehouse store|warehouse-style store]] with low prices. The stores feature extensive [[Bulk foods|bulk food]] sections.
'''WinCo Foods, Inc.''' is a [[Privately held company|privately held]], majority [[employee stock ownership|employee-owned]]<ref name=SN2013-06>{{cite news |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/winco-s-employee-owners-speak-out |title=WinCo's Employee-Owners Speak Out |first=Elliot |last=Zwiebach |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WinCo Foods LLC Company Profile|url=http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.WINCO_FOODS_LLC.bc16617e78954374.html|website=Hoovers|publisher=Dun & Bradstreet|access-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref><ref name="grocery">{{cite web |url=http://www.grocery.com/winco-foods/ |title=WinCo Foods |date=March 7, 2012 |access-date=August 31, 2013 |quote="Eighty percent of the company is employee owned."}}</ref> American [[supermarket]] chain based in [[Boise, Idaho]], with retail stores in [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Oregon]], [[Texas]],<ref>{{cite news |title=WinCo sets first two Texas openings |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/winco-sets-first-two-texas-openings |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=January 31, 2014}}</ref> [[Utah]], and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. It was founded in 1967 as a no-frills [[Warehouse store|warehouse-style store]] with low prices. The stores feature extensive [[Bulk foods|bulk food]] sections.


Until 1999, it operated as '''Waremart Food Centers''' and [[Cub Foods]] (under a [[franchise agreement]]). However, WinCo began reestablishing Waremart Foods in 2017. {{As of|2021}}, WinCo has 131<!--if you change the count, update the following reference--> [[retail stores]] and six [[distribution centers]], with over 20,000 employees.<ref name="WinCo_Corporate_Site" /><ref>{{cite news |title=WinCo Goes for the Win |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/store-design-amp-construction/winco-goes-win |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>https://www.wincofoods.com/departments/variety-seasonal</ref> As of June 2020, WinCo Foods was No. 59 in [[Forbes|Forbes.com]]'s list of the largest privately owned companies in the United States.
Until 1999, it operated as '''Waremart Food Centers''' and [[Cub Foods]] (under a [[franchise agreement]]). However, WinCo had begun reestablishing Waremart Foods in 2017. {{As of|2021}}, WinCo has 131<!--if you change the count, update the following reference--> [[retail stores]] and six [[distribution centers]], with over 20,000 employees.<ref name="WinCo_Corporate_Site" /><ref>{{cite news |title=WinCo Goes for the Win |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/store-design-amp-construction/winco-goes-win |work=[[Supermarket News]] |date=June 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>https://www.wincofoods.com/departments/variety-seasonal</ref> As of June 2020, WinCo Foods was No. 59 in [[Forbes|Forbes.com]]'s list of the largest privately owned companies in the United States.


==Overview==
==Overview==
Line 38: Line 38:
The company, originally called "Waremart", was founded in [[Boise, Idaho]], in 1967 by Ralph Ward and Bud Williams as a no-frills, [[Warehouse store|warehouse-style grocery store]] focusing on [[Discount store|low prices]].<ref name="grocery" /><ref name=history>{{cite web|title=History |url=http://www.wincofoods.com/about/|work=WinCo Foods|access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> In 1985, Waremart employees established an [[Employee ownership|employee stock ownership plan]] and purchased a majority stake of Waremart from the Ward family, making the company employee-owned.<ref name="grocery" /><ref name=history/>
The company, originally called "Waremart", was founded in [[Boise, Idaho]], in 1967 by Ralph Ward and Bud Williams as a no-frills, [[Warehouse store|warehouse-style grocery store]] focusing on [[Discount store|low prices]].<ref name="grocery" /><ref name=history>{{cite web|title=History |url=http://www.wincofoods.com/about/|work=WinCo Foods|access-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> In 1985, Waremart employees established an [[Employee ownership|employee stock ownership plan]] and purchased a majority stake of Waremart from the Ward family, making the company employee-owned.<ref name="grocery" /><ref name=history/>


In January 1991, Waremart opened an 82,000 square-foot store in Boise to replace the two older Boise stores.<ref name=largest>{{cite web |title=Idaho's largest supermarket set to open Monday at Boise |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OJRfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2598,2996370&dq=waremart+boise&hl=en |work=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]] |date=January 27, 1991}}</ref> At the time, Waremart was operating 16 stores in the [[Northwestern United States|Northwest]] and had reported annual sales of more than $300 million.<ref name=largest/>
In January 1991, Waremart had opened an 82,000 square-foot store in Boise to replace the two older Boise stores.<ref name=largest>{{cite web |title=Idaho's largest supermarket set to open Monday at Boise |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OJRfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2598,2996370&dq=waremart+boise&hl=en |work=[[Lewiston Morning Tribune]] |date=January 27, 1991}}</ref> At the time, Waremart was operating 16 stores in the [[Northwestern United States|Northwest]] and had reported annual sales of more than $300 million.<ref name=largest/>


=== WinCo Foods ===
=== WinCo Foods ===


In 1999, Waremart changed its name to "WinCo Foods". It is a [[portmanteau]] of '''Winning Company''', but the company says the name also refers to the five states in which the company operated stores at the time ('''W'''ashington, '''I'''daho, '''N'''evada, '''C'''alifornia, and '''O'''regon).<ref>[http://wincofoods.com/customer-service/faqs/ FAQs] at WincoFoods.com</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=June 2020}} Nonetheless, three Oregon stores—those in [[Independence, Oregon|Independence]], [[Keizer, Oregon|Keizer]], and [[Ontario, Oregon|Ontario]]—are still branded as "Waremart by WinCo". [[File:WinCo Foods at Crossroads at Orenco Station - Hillsboro, Oregon.JPG|thumb|Store in the [[Orenco, Oregon|Orenco area]] of [[Hillsboro, Oregon]]]]
In 1999, Waremart had changed its name to "WinCo Foods". It is a [[portmanteau]] of '''Winning Company''', but the company says the name may also refer to the five states in which the company had operated stores at the time ('''W'''ashington, '''I'''daho, '''N'''evada, '''C'''alifornia, and '''O'''regon).<ref>[http://wincofoods.com/customer-service/faqs/ FAQs] at WincoFoods.com</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=June 2020}} Nonetheless, three Oregon stores—those in [[Independence, Oregon|Independence]], [[Keizer, Oregon|Keizer]], and [[Ontario, Oregon|Ontario]]—are still branded as "Waremart by WinCo". [[File:WinCo Foods at Crossroads at Orenco Station - Hillsboro, Oregon.JPG|thumb|Store in the [[Orenco, Oregon|Orenco area]] of [[Hillsboro, Oregon]]]]


In 2007, WinCo Foods accused a competing chain, [[Save Mart]], of directing a lawsuit filed by a neighborhood group ''Tracy First'' of [[Tracy, California]], to oppose city approval of a WinCo store. That same year, WinCo Foods opened in [[Pittsburg, California]].<ref name=sue>{{cite news |date=August 2013 |title=Hidden Billionaire Found With Food Fortune in California |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-06/hidden-billionaire-found-with-food-fortune-in-california.html |work=Bloomberg |access-date=September 22, 2013 |quote=In Tracy, California, WinCo accused Save Mart in 2007 of directing a lawsuit filed by neighborhood group Tracy First against the city for approving a new WinCo store, according to a state court document.}}</ref>
In 2007, WinCo Foods had accused a competing chain, [[Save Mart]], of directing a lawsuit filed by a neighborhood group ''Tracy First'' of [[Tracy, California]], to oppose city approval of a WinCo Foods store. That same year, WinCo Foods had opened in [[Pittsburg, California]].<ref name=sue>{{cite news |date=August 2013 |title=Hidden Billionaire Found With Food Fortune in California |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-06/hidden-billionaire-found-with-food-fortune-in-california.html |work=Bloomberg |access-date=September 22, 2013 |quote=In Tracy, California, WinCo had accused Save Mart in 2007 of directing a lawsuit filed by neighborhood group Tracy First against the city for approving a new WinCo store, according to a state court document.}}</ref>


In early 2009, WinCo opened its first two stores in the [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |date=February 10, 2009 |title=WinCo Makes Spokane Debut, Eyes Utah |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/latest-news/winco-makes-spokane-debut-eyes-utah |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref> In October, 2009, WinCo expanded to [[Utah]], adding two stores in [[West Valley City, Utah|West Valley City]] and [[Midvale, Utah|Midvale]].<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite news |date=May 19, 2009 |title=Winco Foods Building Utah Sites |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/latest-news/winco-foods-building-utah-sites |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 23, 2009 |title=New WinCo DC Facilitates Utah Growth |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/new-winco-dc-facilitates-utah-growth |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref> An additional Utah store opened in [[Roy, Utah|Roy]] on June 28, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/winco-foods-announces-grand-opening-of-new-store-in-roy-utah-97146739.html |title=WinCo foods announces grand opening of new store in Roy, Utah |year=2010 |website=PRNewsWire.com |access-date=June 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6507599 |title=Idaho grocery store chain coming to Utah |date=May 15, 2009 |website=KSL.com |access-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> bringing the total number of stores expanded to Utah to five.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldextra.com/business/local/article_a24fbecc-9c26-54de-9636-09db6daa28eb.html |title=WinCo opening five new stores in Utah |year=2009 |website=The Daily Herald |access-date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> WinCo previously operated stores in Utah under the Waremart banner prior to the company's name change.<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/winco-eyes-eastward-expansion |title=WinCo Eyes Eastward Expansion |date=August 8, 2011 |quote=WinCo opened a distribution center in Boise late in 2009, and it said at the time it needed 10 stores in Utah to make that facility efficient. It has opened five of those stores already, so it seems it is looking to capitalize on the move into Utah and then go into other areas before refocusing its efforts on Southern California.}}</ref>
Early in 2009, WinCo Foods had opened its first two stores in the [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zwiebach |first=Elliot |date=February 10, 2009 |title=WinCo Makes Spokane Debut, Eyes Utah |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/latest-news/winco-makes-spokane-debut-eyes-utah |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref> In October, 2009, WinCo expanded to [[Utah]], adding two stores in [[West Valley City, Utah|West Valley City]] and [[Midvale, Utah|Midvale]].<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite news |date=May 19, 2009 |title=Winco Foods Building Utah Sites |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/latest-news/winco-foods-building-utah-sites |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 23, 2009 |title=New WinCo DC Facilitates Utah Growth |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/new-winco-dc-facilitates-utah-growth |work=[[Supermarket News]]}}</ref> An additional Utah store opened in [[Roy, Utah|Roy]] on June 28, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/winco-foods-announces-grand-opening-of-new-store-in-roy-utah-97146739.html |title=WinCo foods announces grand opening of new store in Roy, Utah |year=2010 |website=PRNewsWire.com |access-date=June 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6507599 |title=Idaho grocery store chain coming to Utah |date=May 15, 2009 |website=KSL.com |access-date=August 31, 2013}}</ref> bringing the total number of stores expanded to Utah to five.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldextra.com/business/local/article_a24fbecc-9c26-54de-9636-09db6daa28eb.html |title=WinCo opening five new stores in Utah |year=2009 |website=The Daily Herald |access-date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> WinCo Foods had previously operated stores in Utah under the Waremart banner prior to the company's name change.<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/winco-eyes-eastward-expansion |title=WinCo Eyes Eastward Expansion |date=August 8, 2011 |quote=WinCo Foods had opened a distribution center in Boise late in 2009, and it had said at the time it had needed exactly ten stores in Utah to make that facility efficient. It had opened five of those stores already, so it seems it is looking to capitalise on the move into Utah and then go into other areas before refocusing its efforts on Southern California.}}</ref>


In January 2011, WinCo began signing leases for an expansion to Southern Nevada and [[Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/business/article_e5682ae0-25b8-11e0-96e0-001cc4c03286.html |title=WinCo grocery chain plans Arizona expansion |date=January 23, 2011 |work=[[East Valley Tribune]]}}</ref> The chain opened stores in [[Las Vegas]] and [[Henderson, Nevada]] on March 4, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/mar/05/attention-shoppers-winco-foods-opens-its-doors-two/ |title=Attention shoppers: WinCo Foods opens 2 stores in Southern Nevada |date=March 5, 2012 |work=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |access-date=June 7, 2012}}</ref> The company's first two stores in Arizona opened on April 1, 2012 in the [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2012/03/02/winco-to-open-new-grocery-stores-in.html |title=WinCo to open new grocery stores in Phoenix |date=March 2, 2012 |work=[[Phoenix Business Journal]]}}</ref> The company has opened multiple locations in [[Texas]], including the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] area.<ref name="WinCo_Corporate_Site" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/05/4984339/winco-picks-site-in-north-richland.html |title=WinCo picks site in North Richland Hills for supermarket |last=Trainor |first=Gene |date=July 5, 2013 |work=[[Star-Telegram]] |access-date=July 7, 2013 |quote=North Richland Hills is the third North Texas location selected by the company. A store at Sycamore School and Crowley roads in south Fort Worth is expected to open early next year, along with another in McKinney. The company had focused its business in seven Western states, including California, Oregon and Washington.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Halkias |first=Maria |date=August 1, 2013 |title=North Carolina grocer to open Dallas stores in Turtle Creek Village and near the Arboretum |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/20130801-north-carolina-grocer-to-open-dallas-stores-in-turtle-creek-village-and-near-the-arboretum.ece |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |access-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref>
In January 2011, WinCo began signing leases for an expansion to Southern Nevada and [[Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/business/article_e5682ae0-25b8-11e0-96e0-001cc4c03286.html |title=WinCo grocery chain plans Arizona expansion |date=January 23, 2011 |work=[[East Valley Tribune]]}}</ref> The chain opened stores in [[Las Vegas]] and [[Henderson, Nevada]] on March 4, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/mar/05/attention-shoppers-winco-foods-opens-its-doors-two/ |title=Attention shoppers: WinCo Foods opens 2 stores in Southern Nevada |date=March 5, 2012 |work=[[Las Vegas Sun]] |access-date=June 7, 2012}}</ref> The company's first two stores in Arizona opened on April 1, 2012 in the [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2012/03/02/winco-to-open-new-grocery-stores-in.html |title=WinCo to open new grocery stores in Phoenix |date=March 2, 2012 |work=[[Phoenix Business Journal]]}}</ref> The company had opened multiple locations in [[Texas]], including the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] area.<ref name="WinCo_Corporate_Site" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/05/4984339/winco-picks-site-in-north-richland.html |title=WinCo picks site in North Richland Hills for supermarket |last=Trainor |first=Gene |date=July 5, 2013 |work=[[Star-Telegram]] |access-date=July 7, 2013 |quote=North Richland Hills is the third North Texas location selected by the company. A store at Sycamore School and Crowley roads in south Fort Worth had been expected to open early next year, along with another in McKinney. The company had focused on its business in seven Western states, including California, Oregon, and Washington.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Halkias |first=Maria |date=August 1, 2013 |title=North Carolina grocer to open Dallas stores in Turtle Creek Village and near the Arboretum |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/20130801-north-carolina-grocer-to-open-dallas-stores-in-turtle-creek-village-and-near-the-arboretum.ece |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |access-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref>


WinCo was named as the sponsor for the [[WinCo Foods Portland Open]] in June, 2013.<ref name=pga>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/news/2013/06/15/web-tour-portland.html |title=Web.com Tour heading to Portland in 2014 for Regular-Season finale |publisher=PGA Tour |date=June 15, 2013}}</ref>
WinCo was named as the sponsor for the [[WinCo Foods Portland Open]] in June, 2013.<ref name=pga>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/news/2013/06/15/web-tour-portland.html |title=Web.com Tour heading to Portland in 2014 for Regular-Season finale |publisher=PGA Tour |date=June 15, 2013}}</ref>


In late 2014, WinCo announced that it would enter the [[Oklahoma City metropolitan area|Oklahoma City metro]] market, starting with stores in [[Moore, Oklahoma|Moore]] and [[Midwest City, Oklahoma|Midwest City]], with plans to open two other locations in the [[Metro area|metro]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsok.com/idaho-based-grocer-plans-midwest-city-store/article/5361986 |title=Idaho-based grocer plans Midwest City store |last=Bailey |first=Brianna |date=October 30, 2014 |website=NewsOK.com |publisher=The Oklahoman |location=Midwest City, Oklahoma |access-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref> In March 2017, WinCo opened its 114th store in [[Moses Lake, Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifiberone.com/news/moses-lake-winco-opens-thursday-to-lines-of-shoppers/youtube_62740276-1585-11e7-bd0f-bf5c79abfe19.html |title=Moses Lake WinCo opens Thursday to lines of shoppers |website=iFIBER One News |language=en |access-date=May 13, 2017}}</ref>
Later in 2014, WinCo Foods announced that it had entered the [[Oklahoma City metropolitan area|Oklahoma City metro]] market, starting with stores in [[Moore, Oklahoma|Moore]] and [[Midwest City, Oklahoma|Midwest City]], with plans to open two other locations inside the [[Metro area|metro]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsok.com/idaho-based-grocer-plans-midwest-city-store/article/5361986 |title=Idaho-based grocer plans Midwest City store |last=Bailey |first=Brianna |date=October 30, 2014 |website=NewsOK.com |publisher=The Oklahoman |location=Midwest City, Oklahoma |access-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref> In March 2017, WinCo opened its 114th store in [[Moses Lake, Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifiberone.com/news/moses-lake-winco-opens-thursday-to-lines-of-shoppers/youtube_62740276-1585-11e7-bd0f-bf5c79abfe19.html |title=Moses Lake WinCo opens Thursday to lines of shoppers |website=iFIBER One News |language=en |access-date=May 13, 2017}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 01:38, 23 December 2021

WinCo Foods, Inc.
Company typePrivate, employee-owned
IndustryRetail
Founded1967 (57 years ago) (1967)
FoundersRalph Ward and Bud Williams
HeadquartersBoise, Idaho, U.S.
Number of locations
131[1]
Key people
Gary Piva, Chairman
Grant Haag, President/CEO
Richard Charrier, COO
David Butler, CFO
ProductsBakery, grocery, produce, delicatessen, seafood, bulk foods, snacks, health and beauty products, general merchandise [2]
Services
RevenueUS$7.2 billion (2019)[3]
Number of employees
20,000 [4]
Websitewww.wincofoods.com
"Winco" redirects here. For the power generator manufacturing company, see Winco Inc.

WinCo Foods, Inc. is a privately held, majority employee-owned[5][6][7] American supermarket chain based in Boise, Idaho, with retail stores in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas,[8] Utah, and Washington. It was founded in 1967 as a no-frills warehouse-style store with low prices. The stores feature extensive bulk food sections.

Until 1999, it operated as Waremart Food Centers and Cub Foods (under a franchise agreement). However, WinCo had begun reestablishing Waremart Foods in 2017. As of 2021, WinCo has 131 retail stores and six distribution centers, with over 20,000 employees.[1][9][10] As of June 2020, WinCo Foods was No. 59 in Forbes.com's list of the largest privately owned companies in the United States.

Overview

WinCo Foods is based in Boise, Idaho. It was founded in 1967, and the company is mostly owned by current and former employees through an employee stock ownership plan. WinCo operates distribution centers in:[1]

The company reduces operating expenses by purchasing directly from manufacturers and farmers; operating basic, no-frills stores; bagging service is not provided.[11] In addition the company does not accept credit cards for payment (debit and WIC/EBT cards are accepted).[12]

History

From 1967 to 1999, WinCo operated as Waremart Food Centers.

The company, originally called "Waremart", was founded in Boise, Idaho, in 1967 by Ralph Ward and Bud Williams as a no-frills, warehouse-style grocery store focusing on low prices.[7][13] In 1985, Waremart employees established an employee stock ownership plan and purchased a majority stake of Waremart from the Ward family, making the company employee-owned.[7][13]

In January 1991, Waremart had opened an 82,000 square-foot store in Boise to replace the two older Boise stores.[14] At the time, Waremart was operating 16 stores in the Northwest and had reported annual sales of more than $300 million.[14]

WinCo Foods

In 1999, Waremart had changed its name to "WinCo Foods". It is a portmanteau of Winning Company, but the company says the name may also refer to the five states in which the company had operated stores at the time (Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon).[15][non-primary source needed] Nonetheless, three Oregon stores—those in Independence, Keizer, and Ontario—are still branded as "Waremart by WinCo".

Store in the Orenco area of Hillsboro, Oregon

In 2007, WinCo Foods had accused a competing chain, Save Mart, of directing a lawsuit filed by a neighborhood group Tracy First of Tracy, California, to oppose city approval of a WinCo Foods store. That same year, WinCo Foods had opened in Pittsburg, California.[16]

Early in 2009, WinCo Foods had opened its first two stores in the Spokane, Washington, area.[17] In October, 2009, WinCo expanded to Utah, adding two stores in West Valley City and Midvale.[13][18][19] An additional Utah store opened in Roy on June 28, 2010.[20][21] bringing the total number of stores expanded to Utah to five.[22] WinCo Foods had previously operated stores in Utah under the Waremart banner prior to the company's name change.[13][23]

In January 2011, WinCo began signing leases for an expansion to Southern Nevada and Arizona.[24] The chain opened stores in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada on March 4, 2012.[25] The company's first two stores in Arizona opened on April 1, 2012 in the Phoenix area.[26] The company had opened multiple locations in Texas, including the Dallas–Fort Worth area.[1][27][28]

WinCo was named as the sponsor for the WinCo Foods Portland Open in June, 2013.[29]

Later in 2014, WinCo Foods announced that it had entered the Oklahoma City metro market, starting with stores in Moore and Midwest City, with plans to open two other locations inside the metro.[30] In March 2017, WinCo opened its 114th store in Moses Lake, Washington.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "WinCo Corporate Site". Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  2. ^ https://careers.wincofoods.com/
  3. ^ "WinCo Foods". Forbes. 2019.
  4. ^ "WinCo Foods".
  5. ^ Zwiebach, Elliot (June 24, 2013). "WinCo's Employee-Owners Speak Out". Supermarket News.
  6. ^ "WinCo Foods LLC Company Profile". Hoovers. Dun & Bradstreet. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "WinCo Foods". March 7, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2013. Eighty percent of the company is employee owned.
  8. ^ Zwiebach, Elliot (January 31, 2014). "WinCo sets first two Texas openings". Supermarket News.
  9. ^ Zwiebach, Elliot (June 24, 2013). "WinCo Goes for the Win". Supermarket News.
  10. ^ https://www.wincofoods.com/departments/variety-seasonal
  11. ^ Tuttle, Brad (August 7, 2013). "Meet the Low-Key, Low-Cost Grocery Chain Being Called 'Walmart's Worst Nightmare' ". Time. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  12. ^ "FAQs". WinCo Foods. August 14, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "History". WinCo Foods. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  14. ^ a b "Idaho's largest supermarket set to open Monday at Boise". Lewiston Morning Tribune. January 27, 1991.
  15. ^ FAQs at WincoFoods.com
  16. ^ "Hidden Billionaire Found With Food Fortune in California". Bloomberg. August 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013. In Tracy, California, WinCo had accused Save Mart in 2007 of directing a lawsuit filed by neighborhood group Tracy First against the city for approving a new WinCo store, according to a state court document.
  17. ^ Zwiebach, Elliot (February 10, 2009). "WinCo Makes Spokane Debut, Eyes Utah". Supermarket News.
  18. ^ "Winco Foods Building Utah Sites". Supermarket News. May 19, 2009.
  19. ^ "New WinCo DC Facilitates Utah Growth". Supermarket News. September 23, 2009.
  20. ^ "WinCo foods announces grand opening of new store in Roy, Utah". PRNewsWire.com. 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  21. ^ "Idaho grocery store chain coming to Utah". KSL.com. May 15, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  22. ^ "WinCo opening five new stores in Utah". The Daily Herald. 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  23. ^ "WinCo Eyes Eastward Expansion". August 8, 2011. WinCo Foods had opened a distribution center in Boise late in 2009, and it had said at the time it had needed exactly ten stores in Utah to make that facility efficient. It had opened five of those stores already, so it seems it is looking to capitalise on the move into Utah and then go into other areas before refocusing its efforts on Southern California.
  24. ^ "WinCo grocery chain plans Arizona expansion". East Valley Tribune. January 23, 2011.
  25. ^ "Attention shoppers: WinCo Foods opens 2 stores in Southern Nevada". Las Vegas Sun. March 5, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  26. ^ "WinCo to open new grocery stores in Phoenix". Phoenix Business Journal. March 2, 2012.
  27. ^ Trainor, Gene (July 5, 2013). "WinCo picks site in North Richland Hills for supermarket". Star-Telegram. Retrieved July 7, 2013. North Richland Hills is the third North Texas location selected by the company. A store at Sycamore School and Crowley roads in south Fort Worth had been expected to open early next year, along with another in McKinney. The company had focused on its business in seven Western states, including California, Oregon, and Washington.
  28. ^ Halkias, Maria (August 1, 2013). "North Carolina grocer to open Dallas stores in Turtle Creek Village and near the Arboretum". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "Web.com Tour heading to Portland in 2014 for Regular-Season finale". PGA Tour. June 15, 2013.
  30. ^ Bailey, Brianna (October 30, 2014). "Idaho-based grocer plans Midwest City store". NewsOK.com. Midwest City, Oklahoma: The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  31. ^ "Moses Lake WinCo opens Thursday to lines of shoppers". iFIBER One News. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to WinCo Foods stores.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=WinCo_Foods&oldid=1061654440"