National Supermarkets

National Supermarkets

Company type	Private
Industry	Grocery store chain
Founded	1899 in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Defunct	April 1999
Fate	Acquired by Schnucks Markets; stores later divested and chain ceased operations
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Area served	Midwestern and Southern United States (including St. Louis, New Orleans, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Indianapolis)
Owner	Loblaw Companies (until 1995)
Parent	Loblaw Companies (until 1995)

File:National-logo-mini.png

National emblem utilized across both U.S. divisions

National Supermarkets operated as a grocery store chain in the regions of St. Louis, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana within the United States. Both branches were under the ownership of Canada's Loblaw Companies, until June 1995 when Loblaw divested them to Schnucks Markets. Following this transaction, the FTC mandated that Schnucks divest the New Orleans division of National to Schwegmann Brothers Giant Supermarkets based in Metairie, Louisiana. This entity subsequently transferred ownership to Great A&P, which ultimately sold the stores to Rouse Markets in 2007. In the St. Louis market, National had secured the second-largest position by acquiring multiple former Kroger locations along with Kroger’s distribution center after Kroger withdrew from St. Louis in 1986. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, National and Kroger competed closely for the second and third rankings, frequently exchanging positions.

The divisions in New Orleans and St. Louis were the final remnants of National Supermarkets—also known as National Tea—a company founded in Chicago in 1899, making it one of the nation’s oldest grocery chains. At its peak during the late 1960s, it ranked fifth largest nationwide, trailing only behind A&P, Safeway, Kroger, and Food Fair. Loblaw acquired National in 1955. The company expanded through acquisitions including Miller's in (Denver), Standard in (Indianapolis), and Applebaum's in (Minneapolis-St. Paul). Besides operating under the National and Standard names, other banners such as Big D and Del Farm were utilized throughout the Midwest, while That Stanley! was employed in southern markets.

At its zenith, National’s operations spanned from western Pennsylvania to Colorado, with stores located in cities such as Denver, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the Quad Cities, Indianapolis, Chicago, Youngstown, Memphis, and Nashville. It held the distinction as the largest supermarket chain serving the Mississippi Valley. Competitors varied by region and included chains like Jewel, Red Owl, Allied’s Bettendorf-Rapp, Kroger, A&P, Dominick's, Eagle Food Centers, Hy-Vee, Marsh Supermarkets, Winn-Dixie, Hill's, Fisher/Fazio's/Costa, Thorofare, King Soopers, Albertsons, and Safeway.

The National logo was a modified version of Loblaw’s emblem flipped upside down to resemble a lowercase "n" rather than an uppercase "L".

Slogans

During National Supermarkets' peak market dominance in the late 1960s, their television commercials featured slogans such as "Super National-Market" and "The Underpricer." By the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the St. Louis region, their advertising tagline had shifted to, "You're Important to Us!"

Unsuccessful revival

As part of the agreement when Schnucks acquired National from Loblaws, they were required to divest 24 stores due to antitrust regulations. In 1996, Family Company of America, led by financial advisor James R. Gibson from Belleville, Illinois, purchased 23 of these locations from Schnucks and relaunched them under the name National Markets. Despite efforts such as the "Great Grocery Giveaway" campaign—which randomly awarded customers with free shopping—the revived National struggled to compete with Schnucks and ultimately ceased operations in April 1999.

Following the bankruptcy, investigations revealed that Gibson had funded the acquisition by misappropriating funds from 183 clients of his investment firm. These victims included orphans, individuals who had received settlements from accidents and entrusted Gibson with their compensation, as well as disabled persons who relied on him for managing their savings. In 2005, Gibson received a 40-year prison sentence for his fraudulent activities. He is scheduled for release no earlier than 2036, when he will be 91 years old.

National Supermarket murders

Main article: 1987 St. Louis National Supermarkets shooting

On September 4, 1987, shortly after closing time at the National Supermarket located at 4331 Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis, two assailants disguised as janitorial staff entered the premises where employees were preparing for the following day. They executed seven workers who were lying on the floor, resulting in five fatalities. This incident remains one of the most tragic mass killings in St. Louis history.

National Supermarkets—New Orleans division

By late 1994, National operated 28 outlets across the New Orleans metropolitan area—including locations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama—under various banners:

• National
• Canal Villere
• Superstore
• That Stanley!
• The Real Superstore
• The Real Superstore Express
• The Real Uptown Superstore

The building that once housed "The Real Uptown Superstore" continues to function today as a Rouses supermarket.

In Denham Springs, Louisiana, there was also a National Supermarket (#18) known simply as "Superstore." That facility has since been converted into a home furnishings retailer.

External links

• A Historical Overview of National Supermarkets Archived 2009-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
• Official Site for National Supermarkets in St. Louis