Ukrop’s may be for sale, publication says
FILE PHOTO/TIMES-DISPATCH
Ukrop’s employed 3,363 people in 25 stores in the Richmond area as of Jan. 1.
Ukrop's Super Markets Inc. has initiated discussions with potential buyers for the 28-store chain, a regional grocery trade publication reported yesterday.
Food World reported on its Web site that family-owned Ukrop's, a Richmond-area institution for decades, had issued a prospectus "detailing vital Ukrop's store data and seeking interest in a potential sale." Food World cited multiple industry sources.
Jeff Metzger, publisher of Maryland-based Food World, declined to comment on the report yesterday.
Potential buyers responding to the prospectus included Harris Teeter, Supervalu and Netherlands-based Ahold, Food World reported.
Ukrop's did not respond to several requests for comment.
A spokeswoman for Harris Teeter would say only that it is the company's corporate policy "not to comment on rumors." A spokeswoman for Supervalu said the company does not publicly discuss market speculation.
Ahold did not respond to requests for comment.
Ukrop's employed 3,363 people in 25 stores in the Richmond area as of Jan. 1.
The Food World report came amid widespread discussion on Richmond-area blogs and online chats of the possibility of Ukrop's being sold, including reports that Harris Teeter had applied for state licenses to sell alcohol in the same number of locations that Ukrop's has stores. Few of the posts cited sources.
A spokeswoman for Harris Teeter said the North Carolina-based grocery chain had not applied for such licenses, and a spokeswoman for the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said no such applications had been filed.
As of yesterday evening, the ABC Department Web site did not show any pending applications in the area for Harris Teeter or its parent company, Ruddick Corp.
There also were no pending alcohol-sales license applications in the name of Ukrop's, Ahold or Supervalu.
Talk of a possible Ukrop's sale to Harris Teeter has circulated for several years. In an e-mail statement in May, the company chalked up the talk to rumors.
"It seems like every year about this time the same rumors circulate," Ukrop's said in the statement.
Harris Teeter Inc. operates 181 stores in eight states including Virginia but not in the Richmond market. However, the chain has stores in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Charlottesville and Danville.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced in January that Harris Teeter will invest $101 million to open a food-distribution operation in King George County, creating 335 jobs.
The company employs about 21,000 people. It has headquarters in Matthews, N.C., near Charlotte.
Minnesota-based Supervalu owns and operates about 2,500 stores under several different brands and also supplies grocers, including Ukrop's. Supervalu owns Virginia Beach-based Farm Fresh Inc., which operates the Market at Tobacco Row in Richmond.
Ahold is an international group of grocery stores, with locations in the U.S. and Europe. It owns Landover, Md.-based Giant, which has about 20 stores in Northern Virginia and several in Washington.
Ukrop's was founded in 1937, when Joseph Ukrop mortgaged the family farm to open the first store in Richmond.
It expanded to dominate the Richmond grocery market and now has 28 stores -- 25 in the Richmond area and one each in Williamsburg, Fredericksburg and Roanoke.
Over its 72-year history, the company has been a major supporter of area charities and community events, including sponsoring the Monument Avenue 10K race. In September, Ukrop's reported that its Golden Gift program had distributed more than $12 million to local nonprofit organizations since 1987.
It has remained family-owned, with one of the founder's sons, Robert S. Ukrop, 62, currently serving as chairman, president and CEO of the company.
Brother James E. Ukrop, who turns 72 this month, is chairman of First Market Bank, the majority of which is owned by the grocery chain and the family. He is a former chairman of Ukrop's Super Markets.
First Market is in the process of merging with Bowling Green-based Union Bank and Trust.
Ukrop's has acknowledged some problems in recent years. The company has discussed publicly its problems gaining a foothold in the Roanoke market with the store it opened there two years ago. Slow sales forced it to close one of its two Williamsburg stores this year.
And last month, an annual survey of grocery markets showed Ukrop's no longer is the market leader in the Richmond area for the first time in more than 20 years. It lost its No. 1 spot to North Carolina-based Food Lion LLC, according to Food World.
Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or
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Reader Reactions
To all of the previous and future Ukrops bashers. I am so very sorry that you cannot buy beer or wine at Ukrops.
I am sorry you do not like clean, well maintained, well stocked stores. I am especially sorry that you cannot shop there on Sunday, evidently you are too busy the other six days of the week.
The Ukrops family took their concept, worked at it, did not give in to pressure to change. They prospered and offered employment opportunities to thousands of people. Many people had their first job at Ukrops and learned good work habits. If Ukrops does sell I will miss their excellent brand of customer service. I guess we will just have to get used to lousy customer service, sloppy employees and watch our money go out of state or in some cases
(Food Lion) out of the country.
I admit their stores are clean but the $11 salad is a bit ridiculous. I also usually enjoy a cold 12-pack of Natural Ice and a black and mild after returning from a tough workout at the gym so they force me to make another stop after buying my salad. Ugh
Howard Stern may have the last laugh…...just watching the reaction to the possible sale of Ukrops shows how po-dunk, backwards acting richmond is. we like to talk like we are a big time city, but we sure take a Mayberry attitude to a lot of things….
I live in Williamsburg and I LOVE our Ukrops—-AND I’‘m a convert; when Ukrops first came to town, I resisted going, but the Customer Service, Great Bakery, fresh meats, Deli and Especially the Friendly Staff (cashiers, bakery, meats, dairly workers—Everyone!)converted me! On rare occasions, I shop at Walmart and do NOT find their overall prices any cheaper than Ukrops. PLEASE don’t change anything about Ukrops!! PS I applaud them for NOT selling alcohol or cigarettes and for closing Sundays and mojor holidays!
Yeah, don’t ever post date a check and expect the bank not to process it. They will and you will get hit with the penalties. Ukrop’s used to donate our baseball jerseys in the 60’s and when everyone had advertisements on their backs—Ukrops and Burleigh Auto Parts were preferred.
I cannot believe what stories you people fabricate, it’s stranger than fiction.
All of these stories are false! NO business will accept a 2-day postdated check, customers are not “set up,“ and employees are honest.
Quite bad mouthing Ukrops. You can now forget Golden Gift program, Christmas parades, 10K runs, community activities, clean stores, and the loss of 3300 jobs. You won’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Remember the song? Think about it.
agree with bcs
wilbur and tdy9 don’t get it
post dating checks is fraudulent - forgetting your wallet is an accident. i did it once and was back in 5 minutes with their money and both were served, the customer and the store.
you can tell the difference between good customer service and poor - one example, walmart now keeps ALL BUT ONE of their registers CLOSED until after seven am, penalizing the regular early shoppers
and as far as the up-north argument, grocery stores in some new england states couldn’t sell beer on sundays - or any days. you had to go to “package stores”
Without having the grocery stores and the banks to worry about, the Ukrop family now can devote all of their time to keeping Richmond firmly locked in the 19th century, never to progress, never to change…
Dang am sure glad Ukrops gonna be sold. One Wunday I run outta Busch Light and din have no smokes so I hied myself to Walmart and dnag when I got to the checkout I forget ma billfold but them nice folk at Walmart said shucks, uyou jist tote them things home and next time ya’ll hereabouts jist stop and setlle up with us. W’re not like the evial Ukrops peaople who cain’t lend a hand to a customer ane are too dum to open Sunday and sell beer and wine.
You two are clueless. Ukrops does not let people take their groceries on “good faith” as a “schtick”. It’s called superior customer service look it up yankee.
And post-dating a check. If the money is not in the account dont write the check idiot!
Two perfect examples of what’s wrong with richmond!!
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