SpartanNash purchased a Findlay-based grocery store group, which owns the Chief Market stores, including this one on Lima’s Cable Road.
David Trinko | The Lima News
FINDLAY — A regional food distribution company will now own many of the area’s supermarkets where it delivers its goods.
SpartanNash, of Grand Rapids, Mich., announced Monday afternoon it bought Findlay-based Fresh Encounter Inc., which owns 49 supermarket stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, including the Chief, Community Market and Save a Lot brands locally. Fresh Encounter’s brands had been food distribution customers of SpartanNash and its predecessors for 58 years.
“We are proud of the business our family has built and look forward to advancing our relationship with SpartanNash,” said Fresh Encounter CEO Michael Needler Jr. in a press release. “As their customer, we have seen firsthand the ‘People First’ culture at SpartanNash, and we appreciate the career opportunities and growth this will unlock for Fresh Encounter team members.”
Fresh Encounter owned Chief Market, with locations in Celina, Coldwater, Delphos and Van Wert and two stores in Lima. It also owned Save a Lot, which has two locations Lima, as well as stores in Kenton and Van Wert.
It also owns 14 Community Markets, with locations across Ohio and eastern Indiana. Nearby locations include Ada, Bluffton, Cridersville, Lakeview and Wapakoneta. It purchased the former independent grocer Kohls Market in Ottawa last month.
SpartanNash has a distribution center at 1100 Prosperity Road, Lima.
With the purchase of the third-generation food company, SpartanNash expanded its retail footprint by 33%, according to the company. In April, it purchased Metcalfe’s Market as part of its expanded strategy.
“This acquisition is an exciting milestone in our company’s strategic growth plans,” said SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam in a press release. “Not only will we welcome 2,500 new associates to the SpartanNash family, we will also begin serving shoppers in Kentucky and grow our existing footprint across Ohio and Indiana. Retail is a critical component of our business model and long-term strategic plan, as we meet consumer needs and leverage insights from our stores to continuously innovate our products and operations across our wholesale business.”
Fresh Encounter was a supermarket management company owned by siblings Needler Jr. and Julie Needler Anderson. The transaction is expected to close in late November. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It plans to continue employment for all of Fresh Encounter’s 2,500 employees.
