Jitney Jungle

Jitney Jungle

File:Jitney Jungle Stores Logo.png Logo of Jitney Jungle
Predecessor	Delchamps
Founded	1919 (1919)
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Purchased by Winn-Dixie
Headquarters	Jackson, Mississippi , U.S.

Jitney Jungle was a supermarket chain established in Jackson, Mississippi in 1919. It ranked among the top privately owned grocery chains in the United States and was listed as a private Forbes 500 company. In 2000, it was acquired by Winn-Dixie.

Origins

The origins of the company trace back to 1912 when brothers Judson McCarty Holman and William Henry Holman, along with their cousin William Bonner McCarty, opened a grocery store in Jackson, Mississippi. As they expanded their operations over the following years, one store encountered difficulties collecting payments from customers by 1916. This challenge sparked the consideration of adopting a cash-and-carry sales approach. During W. H. Holman’s service in World War I, his brother and cousin proceeded with transitioning to this model. Upon his return from military duty, they inaugurated the first Jitney Jungle store on East Capitol Street in Jackson on April 19, 1919.

The trio secured a patent for the Jitney Jungle concept in 1920 but soon faced a patent infringement suit filed by Piggly Wiggly. To contest these claims, Will McCarty traveled westward and identified cash-and-carry stores operating there, disproving Piggly Wiggly’s assertion of originality. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jitney Jungle.

Expansion continued steadily throughout Mississippi and extended to adjacent states, reaching locations as distant as Florida. By 1973, the enterprise operated 38 grocery outlets alongside six fuel stations and five pharmacies, and grew to encompass over 100 stores by 1992.

During the 1960s, Jitney Jungle launched a convenience store division named Jr. Food Mart, which provided both gasoline and grocery items. This subsidiary remains active today. Many Jr. Food Mart locations feature quick-service dining options highlighting Creole Fried Chicken. The convenience stores serve customers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with previous operations also in Arkansas. A significant development occurred in 1965 when Jitney joined Topco, a nationwide cooperative purchasing organization that matched the buying power of major supermarket chains. This affiliation enabled Jitney to acquire premium food products and related goods at competitive rates.

It should be noted that Jitney Fresh Markets, a grocery chain based in Southern California, has no affiliation with the former Jitney Jungle Stores of America.

Decline and bankruptcy

During the mid-1990s, the founding family sold Jitney Jungle to the New York-based investment company Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. for $400 million. By the close of the decade, poor management and the ill-fated 1997 purchase of Delchamps had left the chain heavily indebted. In 2000, both Jitney Jungle and Delchamps were acquired by Winn-Dixie, which subsequently rebranded these locations under its own name.

In 2005, Winn-Dixie shuttered numerous stores, including most of the former Jitney Jungle outlets in Mississippi. Several of these sites remain closed with no clear plans for reopening or acquisition, while others have found new purposes.

One notable example is the store located on East Fortification Street in Jackson—still commonly referred to as "Jitney 14" by locals—which now operates under McDade's, a relatively recent regional grocery chain. McDade's also manages former Jitney locations on Duling Avenue in Jackson’s Woodland Hills neighborhood and the ex-Jitney store on Ellis Avenue in Westland Plaza Shopping Center that closed following Winn-Dixie’s exit.

Among the oldest Jitney outlets still functioning are the Fondren store and the original Jitney 14 on East Fortification. The Fondren location traces its origins back to the late 19th century as David's Fondren Grocery. Over time, it transitioned into an A&P Food Store, then a Jitney Jungle, and later a Winn-Dixie. Although David's Fondren Grocery no longer operates, the commercial center it established continues today as part of McDade's Market.

Another former Jitney location that reopened this year is "Jitney Jungle #4," situated at 311 West Northside Drive in Jackson. This store ceased operations under Jitney Jungle on February 18, 2000, before becoming part of New Deal Supermarket—a Jackson-based chain owned by ex-Jitney District Supervisor Kenneth Leakes. New Deal closed this store in 2005 amid efforts to divest underperforming locations but reopened it in 2007 as a Grocery Warehouse-style outlet during a company restructuring phase. Notably, this site has not undergone renovation and still retains its original Jitney Jungle interior and exterior design.

Jitney operated several brands including Jitney Jungle, Jitney Premier, Sack & Save, MegaMarket, Delchamps, and Pump & Save.

Name

There has been considerable local curiosity regarding the origin of the unusual name "Jitney Jungle." One popular tale suggests that when the first store advertised in a local newspaper, it was called "Jitney Jingle"—with "jitney" being slang for a nickel—and implied that customers would leave with nickels jingling in their pockets due to savings. According to this story, a newspaper error transformed "Jingle" into "Jungle," and the name stuck. However, W. H. Holman, Jr., a family member involved in founding Jitney Jungle, dismissed this explanation.

In a 1973 speech to the Mississippi Committee of the Newcomen Society of the United States in Jackson, Holman explained:

How did they get the name, Jitney-Jungle? The naming process began during a Sunday dinner at Judge V. J. Stricker’s home—a close family friend. The term "Jitney" referred to popular five-cent cut-rate taxis operated mainly by returning veterans who often transported cash customers to and from the store. Additionally, "jitney" was slang for a nickel, fitting with customers saving a nickel on every quarter by shopping at the self-service store. A common phrase at that time involved "jingling your jitneys in your pockets." Judge Stricker proposed the name Jitney-Jingle. Contrary to legend, "Jingle" did not become "Jungle" due to a printer’s mistake in an early advertisement; rather, it was a deliberate wordplay by Mr. Will McCarty—each Jitney was envisioned as a jungle of bargains saving customers a "jitney" on every quarter.

Additional sources

• Historical overview of Jitney Jungle prior to its closure