Hannaford (supermarket)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Supermarkets) |
| Founded | 1883 in Portland, Maine, United States |
| Founder | Arthur Hannaford |
| Headquarters | Scarborough, Maine , United States |
Area served | New England and New York, United States |
| Products | Grocery stores, private-label products (Hannaford brand, Taste of Inspirations) |
| Owner | Ahold Delhaize |
| Parent | Ahold Delhaize |
| Website | www |
Hannaford is a supermarket chain headquartered in Scarborough, Maine, United States.[1] Established in 1883 in Portland, Maine, Hannaford operates retail locations throughout New England and New York. It functions as a subsidiary of the Ahold Delhaize conglomerate, headquartered in the Netherlands, and shares corporate affiliation with former regional competitor Stop & Shop.[2]
History
The origins of Hannaford trace back to 1883 when Arthur Hannaford opened a modest produce shop on the waterfront of Portland, Maine.[3] By 1915, the store was located at 164–168 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine, now the site of a Gorham Savings Bank.[4] The company’s warehouse was situated at what is now 25 Market Street.[5]
In 1902, Arthur's brothers Howard and Edward joined the business, leading to the incorporation of Hannaford Bros. Co. By the year 1920, the firm had established itself as a prominent produce wholesaler across northern New England. Subsequently, the company moved to a new five-story warehouse on Cross Street. The acquisition of Tondreau Supermarkets Inc., which operated Red & White stores in Maine, in 1939 marked Hannaford's entry into wholesale grocery distribution. Toward the end of 1944, Hannaford inaugurated its first retail store through an equity partnership with Adjutor Tondreau.[3]
By 1960, Hannaford Bros. constructed a 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) distribution facility in South Portland, Maine to support its growing network of retail outlets. Expansion continued through acquisitions such as Sampson's grocery chain (31 stores) in 1966 and Progressive Distributors in 1967. The company’s revenue exceeded $1 million by 1971.[3]
Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Hannaford accelerated growth by launching Wellby Drug Stores, many integrated within Shop ’N’ Save supermarkets. By 1987, operations had extended into New York and Massachusetts, with annual sales reaching $1 billion.[3]
During the 1990s, Hannaford ventured into the Southeastern U.S. market by acquiring Wilson's Supermarkets in North Carolina. This acquisition served as a foundation for further expansion into the Carolinas and Virginia. In 2000, Delhaize America purchased Hannaford, thereby eliminating a potential competitor to its Food Lion brand while broadening its presence in the Northeast.[6][3]
Following this acquisition, some North Carolina Hannaford locations were divested to Lowes Foods or closed. However, this restructuring inadvertently introduced Kroger as a competitor when it acquired twenty redundant stores previously owned by Food Lion.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
The transition from Shop 'N' Save private-label products to the Hannaford brand began in 1996. By approximately five years later, most stores across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont adopted the Hannaford name. A limited number of independently owned franchises continue operating under Shop ’n’ Save primarily in smaller markets while sourcing through Hannaford’s wholesale system. In 2001, five New York Grand Union stores were converted into Hannaford locations; similarly, nineteen Victory Supermarkets in Massachusetts and New Hampshire were acquired and rebranded in 2004.[3]
In 2006, Hannaford introduced Guiding Stars, an innovative nutrition rating system applied storewide. This program was developed following consumer research revealing widespread interest in healthier living but confusion over complex nutritional information presented via media and packaging. Rankings are based on standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.[7]
In March 2008 it was disclosed that Hannaford's credit card processing infrastructure had been compromised for several months during which approximately 4.2 million customer credit card numbers were stolen by hackers linked to Russia and Ukraine.[8][9] At least 1,800 fraudulent transactions were reported related to this breach. In August 2009 criminal hacker Albert Gonzalez was indicted for involvement in this cybercrime.[10]
Delhaize America formerly operated Sweetbay Supermarket stores throughout Florida—104 locations modeled after Hannaford that carried its private-label products.[11] These outlets were sold to Southeastern Grocers in 2013 and subsequently converted into Winn-Dixie stores. In a significant corporate development during 2016, Delhaize merged with Ahold to form Ahold Delhaize,[12] uniting Hannaford with Stop & Shop under one corporate umbrella. As part of this integration, Hannaford began offering Nature’s Promise private-label goods previously exclusive to Stop & Shop.
Regulatory approval for the merger required divestiture of ten Hannaford stores: eight locations in eastern Massachusetts were sold to Big Y while two stores situated in New York’s lower Hudson Valley transferred ownership to Tops Friendly Markets.[13]
Hannaford has encountered scrutiny over its pledge to convert fully to cage-free eggs. Initially committing publicly in March 2016 to transition all shell egg offerings to cage-free by year-end 2025,[14] the company later extended this target date to 2032—a seven-year delay.[15] This postponement has attracted criticism from animal welfare advocates such as Mercy For Animals who have campaigned for more immediate action on this longstanding promise.[16] Media outlets and community members within Portland—the core market for Hannaford—have expressed concern regarding ongoing hen confinement practices and perceived failure to fulfill earlier commitments.[17][18]
Locations
Hannaford Supermarkets operate primarily in Maine, which hosts the greatest concentration of their outlets, as well as in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York. Within New York, their presence is mainly focused on eastern Upstate regions such as the Capital District, the Mohawk Valley, the Hudson Valley, and the North Country.
Prior to 2011, Hannaford frequently promoted a variety of items under its own private label brands, including products manufactured by Richelieu Foods. From 2011 through 2014, the company adopted the Delhaize-wide Home 360 label but has since reverted to using the "Hannaford" brand alongside the Taste of Inspirations label.
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Location in Ulster, New York -
Location in Livingston, New York
See also
- Stop & Shop, a fellow grocery chain owned by Ahold Delhaize operating within New England.
References
- ↑ "Contacts Archived 2012-05-22 at the Wayback Machine." Delhaize Group. Retrieved May 17, 2012. "HANNAFORD 145 Pleasant Hill Road Scarborough – ME 04074 – U.S.A."
- ↑ Strom, Stephanie; Bray, Chad (June 24, 2015). "Ahold-Delhaize Deal Would Create One of Largest Grocery Chains in U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Making history at Hannaford". Hannaford Bros. Co. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
- ↑ Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine (1915)
- ↑ Ledman, Paul J. (2016). Walking Through History: Portland, Maine on Foot. Next Steps Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-9728587-1-7.
- ↑ Canedy, Dana (August 19, 1999). "Food Lion to Acquire Hannaford Brothers".
- ↑ Chain uses stars to rate food for nutrition Archived September 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, NBC News. September 7, 2006.
- ↑ "Hannaford Brothers Co — Krebs on Security".
- ↑ Kerber, Ross (March 18, 2008). "Grocer Hannaford Hit by Computer Breach". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ Zetter, Kim (August 17, 2009). "TJX Hacker Charged With Heartland, Hannaford Breaches". Wired.
- ↑ "Sweetbay FAQ".
- ↑ "Ahold to acquire Delhaize; would form sixth largest US food retailer".
- ↑ "8 Hannaford stores in Eastern Mass. sold to Big Y – The Boston Globe".
- ↑ https://www.hannaford.com/press-releases/delhaize-america-announces-commitment-to-sell-cage-free-eggs-by-2025
- ↑ https://www.hannaford.com/press-releases/ahold-delhaize-usa-releases-new-targets-for-cage-free-eggs-and-group-housed-pork
- ↑ https://hannafordharms.com/?_ga=2.169508257.1437870280.1753482288-2100433197.1741202010
- ↑ https://www.newscentermaine.com/video/money/business/hannaford-pressured-over-its-2016-pledge-to-only-sell-cage-free-eggs/97-b7de1fee-17e8-49e5-89a7-900c1f94068b
- ↑ https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/business/small-business/mercy-for-animals-rights-group-pressure-hannaford-pledge-cage-free-egg-sales/97-41d986ea-2808-4f49-bf77-9f642785dcd4
External links
Template:Ahold Delhaize Template:Supermarkets of the United States