Mars (supermarket)

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Mars Supermarkets

File:Mars (supermarket) (logo).png
File:Ellicottcitymars.jpg Mars Supermarket located in Ellicott City, Maryland in 2008
Company type	Privately held
Founded	1943 (1943) in Dundalk, Maryland, USA
Founder	Joseph D'Anna
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Bankruptcy; several outlets sold to Weis Markets
Headquarters	Rosedale, Maryland
Number of locations	13 (at time of bankruptcy in 2016)
Area served	Baltimore metropolitan area
Key people	Carmen V. D'Anna, Jr., President
Website	marsfood.com

Mars was a regional grocery chain serving the Baltimore metropolitan region. The company managed 13 supermarket outlets around Baltimore until it declared bankruptcy in 2016.

History

The concept for Mars supermarkets originated in the early 1940s with Joseph D'Anna (1919–2008). He launched his initial grocery store in an Essex, Maryland apartment complex named Mars Estates. Around the same period, Glenn L. Martin was developing the Mars Flying Boat, an aircraft capable of water takeoffs and landings, inspiring the name "Mars" to foster local pride and brand recognition. The inaugural store opened on Old Eastern Avenue in 1943 and operated as a partnership with Bob Baum for three years. They expanded by opening a second location on the 300 block of Eastern Avenue. As the team grew, they relocated south to Dundalk, Maryland, acquiring a strip mall with seven storefronts to broaden their operations and subsequently closed the Essex sites.

File:Mars (supermarket), Middle River.jpg

A Mars supermarket situated in Middle River, MD (2004).

Shortly after this relocation, Joseph's younger brothers Angelo and Carmen, who had recently returned from World War II, joined the venture to help grow the enterprise. Joseph transferred his ownership shares equally to Angelo and Carmen, each receiving a 50% stake. Although the Mars name existed prior to their partnership, this marked the formal beginning of the Mars supermarket brand.

With increasing customer demand, the original store underwent multiple expansions until it occupied nearly all available space at the southeast corner of Holabird and Delvale Avenues. To meet growing needs, Angelo and Carmen inaugurated a second outlet—the Grey Manor store on Old North Point Road—in 1954, followed by a third location on Eastern Avenue in Middle River four years later, close to Joseph's first Mars store. The company's growth was fueled by effective marketing strategies. Assisted by Morris Denkin, they acquired the Vesper Family property across Holabird Avenue and developed what was regarded as one of Maryland's most advanced supermarkets under Angelo and Carmen's supervision.Template:Fix/category

Anthony D'Anna, the youngest sibling, joined Angelo and Carmen's team in 1949 as a grocery and produce clerk before managing a store and eventually transitioning to an office role in 1963. He advanced to vice president and Senior Grocery Buyer.

Following incorporation, their father Vincenzo F. D'Anna was appointed chairman of the board. Anthony became a partner and co-owner in 1955.

After departing from grocery operations, Joseph assumed control of a restaurant previously run by another brother, Vince D'Anna. Vince later returned to Mars supermarkets managing the new Eastern Avenue store and overseeing produce procurement for all locations. Carmen enlisted Peter, the eldest brother, as Produce Buyer and Supervisor.

In 1967, a fire damaged the Middle River store; during restoration efforts led by Morris Denkin with support from American Refrigeration, it was fully renovated. Over the subsequent 26 years, Angelo and Carmen opened ten additional stores including Vincenzo's Produce Market and The Light Street Bakery at Harbor Place, both now closed. The Old North Point Road location was replaced by a new Mars store at Lynch Manor on Wise Avenue.

Angelo N. D'Anna passed away in January 1995 after five decades as company president. Carmen succeeded him and launched three new stores in Glen Burnie, MD, Woodlawn, Baltimore County, MD, and Edgewood, MD. After serving fifty years as Executive Vice President and three years as president, Carmen V. D'Anna Sr. died in August 1997.

At that point, Carmen’s eldest son Vito (Carmen V. D'Anna Jr.) took over as president. Prior to this role, he had progressed from bagger to store manager over nineteen years before becoming Vice President of Operations.

Mars maintained its own purchasing team sourcing fresh produce and seafood daily from local markets while prioritizing Maryland-grown products when available. The chain offered numerous national brands alongside a selective range of private label items sold at competitive prices.Template:Fix/category

The company operated an approximately 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m²) distribution center based in Baltimore that supplied dry groceries, meats, deli/dairy products, frozen foods, and produce to its stores until March 2014 when this facility was shuttered. Following closure, several assets including company-owned tractor trailers were liquidated resulting in layoffs for 78 employees. Subsequently, Mars shifted its logistics strategy by receiving goods directly from manufacturers with transport arrangements or through Bozzuto's Inc.'s distribution center near Hartford, Connecticut.

In May 2016, Mars announced plans to shut down all thirteen stores by July 31 of that year; five locations were acquired by Weis Markets. The company cited ongoing declines in sales over several years as reasons for closure efforts while attempting to lease remaining stores to other retailers.

External links

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