Chatham (grocer)

Chatham Supermarkets

File:Chatham Supermarket logo.png
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	mid-1950s Michigan, United States
Defunct	1987 (1987)
Fate	Defunct
Headquarters	Detroit
Key people	Peter Weisberg Alex Dandy
Products	Groceries
Owners	Weisberg family (until 1985) Alex Dandy (1986–1987)

Chatham was a supermarket chain based in southeastern Michigan, United States, which has since ceased operations.

History

The Weisberg family, who were of Jewish heritage and already involved in the grocery sector, acquired Chatham Village Supermarket in 1947. By the year 1963, the chain—having dropped "Village" from its name—had expanded to nine locations on Detroit's East Side. Peter Weisberg held the roles of president and chairman, while other members of the family filled senior management roles. By August 1968, the company operated 24 stores.

In 1975, Chatham became the first retailer in Michigan to implement the Universal Product Code.

By October 1980, it was estimated that Chatham ranked as the second largest supermarket chain in its region by store count (44 locations) and sales (approximately $550 million), trailing only Farmer Jack. However, this ranking was not officially verifiable due to its private ownership and lack of publicly disclosed data. That same year, the chain operated three Warehouse Way discount drugstores along with a Chatham Plus superstore and inaugurated a warehouse-style store called Pak-n-Save. By 1982, the five-year trial of the Chatham Plus format was deemed unsuccessful, as was their wholesale meat processing operation; this meat plant had been launched in 1966 but was shut down in January 1979.

When sold in May 1985, the number of stores was reported variously as either fifty, thirty-nine, or a combination of thirty-three supermarkets with eight Pak-n-Save outlets; at that time, Nu-Trax, Inc., led by Wendell Smith, acquired the chain.

In March of 1986, Alex Dandy—who owned the Hamady Brothers grocery chain based in Flint, Michigan—purchased Nu-Trax, by which point Chatham had reduced to twenty-one stores employing approximately one thousand staff members. Under Dandy’s management, all but two outlets were closed. He illegally misappropriated company assets for his own use, leading Chatham to declare bankruptcy in 1987. In 1991, Dandy was found guilty of multiple offenses including tax evasion, mail fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and obstruction of justice.

External links

• Chatham Memories – a resource for former employees, featuring the company’s historical background