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- This article is about Acme Markets, the Philadelphia-area division of Supervalu Inc.. For the Akron, Ohio based chain, see Acme Fresh Market.
Acme Markets is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based Supervalu. Acme was founded in 1891 by Samuel Robinson and Robert Crawford in South Philadelphia, now operates nearly 140 supermarkets in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania under the Acme banner.
History
In 1917, Robinson and Crawford merged Acme Markets with four other Philadelphia area grocery chains, and the combined company was named American Stores. The company acquired California's Alpha-Beta stores. American Stores was acquired in 1979 by Skaggs Drug Centers which took the American Stores name, and relocated the headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1988 it acquired Lucky Stores, also in California, and then divested Alpha-Beta to the Yucaipa Cos., Buttrey Food & Drug to Albertsons (prior to American Stores merger with Albertsons) and Star Market to Investcorp.
The company is the largest food and drug retailer in the competitive Philadelphia market, where it competes with local chains, including Safeway-owned Genuardi's and Wal-Mart Supercenters. In addition to its bricks-and-mortar stores, Acme offers online grocery shopping in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs and in four New Jersey counties. Shoppers are charged $4.95 for orders picked up at the store and $9.95 for delivery.
In 2004, Acme Markets were among the first to introduce "self-checkout lines," where shoppers could scan and bag their own (limited number of) groceries.
Acme Markets was acquired by Albertson's in 1998. Albertsons was acquired by Supervalu in 2006.
References
External links
Supermarkets of the United States 1891 establishments | Companies based in Pennsylvania
"Acme Market"