Fisher Foods

Fisher Foods
Company type	Private
Industry	Supermarket
Founded	1907
Founder	Manning Fisher, Charles Fisher
Defunct	1997
Fate	Merged into Riser Foods, later acquired by Giant Eagle
Headquarters	Cleveland, United States
Area served	Ohio, Illinois, California
Products	Groceries, supermarkets

Fisher Foods, which was later rebranded as Fazio's, operated as a supermarket chain headquartered in Cleveland.

Origins

Established in 1907 under the name Fisher Brothers Company, Fisher Foods held the position of Cleveland’s largest supermarket chain for approximately eight decades. The founders, Manning and Charles Fisher, originated from Jersey City, New Jersey. Their entry into the grocery sector began in New York City toward the end of the 19th century, where Manning gained experience working for James Butler, a grocer managing 150 stores. Driven by entrepreneurial ambition, the Fisher brothers launched their inaugural store at 4623 Lorain Avenue in Cleveland.

Post-war challenges

During the period following World War II, Fisher Foods faced significant difficulties. By the mid-1960s, despite operating 75 stores and generating $86 million in annual revenue, the company was unprofitable and controlled merely 12% of the Cleveland market—a steep decline from its former dominance. In 1965, a consortium of investors, including two pairs of brothers—Carl and John Fazio along with Sam and Frank Costa—acquired a majority stake in Fisher Foods for roughly $3.1 million. These investors were affiliated with the Stop-N-Shop Super Markets Association. This acquisition combined Fisher Foods with their respective chains, Fazio's and Costa supermarkets.

Growth and acquisitions

Fisher Foods expanded beyond Ohio for the first time in 1968 by purchasing Dominick's, an 18-store supermarket chain based in Chicago with locations spread across the city and suburbs. Dominick's was family-operated and held a strong reputation locally. Although initially smaller than Chicago’s leading grocer, Jewel Tea (later Jewel-Osco), as well as competitors like National Tea and A&P, Dominick's experienced substantial growth under Fisher Foods' ownership, eventually becoming the second-largest chain in that market. Dominick DiMatteo, Jr., son of Dominick's founder and company president, was appointed vice president at Fisher Foods.

Additionally, Fisher Foods acquired the Kanter's supermarket chain located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1969, Fisher Foods diversified into the fast-food sector by purchasing a stake in National Fast Food Corporation from Columbus, Ohio, which owned the Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips franchise. This deal granted Fisher Foods territorial rights for Arthur Treacher’s restaurants within the Cleveland and Chicago markets, collectively comprising more than 100 outlets at that time. Another acquisition during this period was Clabers, a seven-store department store chain operating around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The company ventured into the Southern California market in 1972 by acquiring Shopping Bag, a chain formed through the merger of a divested Vons operation—mandated by a Supreme Court antitrust decision—and Southern California A&P stores. Post-merger, these outlets were rebranded as Fazio's Shopping Bag. In 1978, Fisher Foods sold 46 of these stores to Albertsons, which already managed 47 locations primarily situated in Orange County.

During the 1980s, dissatisfaction grew within the DiMatteo family regarding their arrangement with Fisher Foods, prompting them to repurchase Dominick's for $100 million.

Decline

By 1988, Fisher Foods was facing financial difficulties and subsequently combined with the Rini-Rego Stop N Shop chain and Seaway Foods Wholesaler, creating Riser Foods. In 1997, Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle acquired Riser Foods for $403 million.^[1]