Remke Markets

Remke Markets

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (Supermarket)
Founded	1897 (1897)
Founder	William Remke
Headquarters	Erlanger , United States
Area served	Cincinnati metropolitan area
Products	Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general groceries, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, alcoholic beverages
Owner	Generative Growth, LLC
Parent	Fresh Encounter, Inc.

Remke Markets is a privately owned supermarket chain based in Erlanger, Kentucky, operating five locations throughout the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Established in 1897 by William Remke as a meat market in Covington, Kentucky, the business has since broadened its inventory to encompass bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general groceries, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, and alcoholic beverages.

History

Founded by William Remke, the company experienced steady growth within the competitive grocery sector. In 2010, Remke Markets strategically merged with the struggling Bigg's division of SuperValu, aiming to enhance its regional market presence.

In February 2017, Generative Growth, LLC acquired Remke Markets, transferring management responsibilities to its affiliate Fresh Encounter, Inc. This corporate restructuring was designed to promote stronger business development and operational effectiveness.

Confronted with ongoing market pressures, Remke announced the closure of three locations: two underperforming stores in Anderson Township and Delhi Township in November 2018, followed by a third in Hebron in March 2019. These decisions reduced the chain’s overall footprint but enabled concentration on core markets and improved financial stability.

Currently, Remke Markets operates five stores within the Cincinnati metropolitan area, sustaining competitiveness through a diverse product range and community-focused service under its present ownership.

bigg's

Bigg's (stylized as bigg's) was a hypermarket chain primarily serving southern Ohio and the Cincinnati region.

Its stores provided an extensive assortment of goods and services including groceries, apparel, general merchandise, lumber, furniture, electronics, toys, garden equipment, and household items.

Originally launched by Hyper Shoppes Inc., a consortium owned by three French firms alongside SuperValu, Bigg's became wholly owned by SuperValu in 1994. At its height, the chain operated more than 13 outlets before scaling back to eleven.

The inaugural store opened in 1984 in Union Township near Cincinnati. In 1989, Bigg's ventured into the western United States with a large 250,000 square-foot store in Thornton, Colorado. Although initially successful as an anchor at Thornton Town Center, plans for further expansion around Denver were abandoned. The Thornton location eventually declined and closed in 2003; its site was redeveloped into a Walmart Supercenter.

In 2006, amid stiff competition from Walmart, Meijer, and Kroger, Bigg's shuttered its sole Indiana store in Clarksville—a grocery-only facility. That same year, SuperValu appointed Steve "KAZ" Kaczynski as President to spearhead a strategic initiative focused on remodeling stores with a Premium, Fresh & Healthy concept that enhanced profitability.

Decreasing sales led to the closure of the Cincinnati Mills store in 2008. Kaczynski left the company in 2009. In March 2010, SuperValu announced plans to sell six Bigg's locations to Remke Markets while closing the remaining five stores.

Later that year, Remke also acquired a seventh store located in Harrison. Initially maintaining the Bigg's branding after acquisition, Remke phased out general merchandise from these outlets and rebranded them as Remke Markets bigg's.

By October 2013, Remke fully retired the Bigg's nameplate and unified all locations under the Remke Markets brand.

External links

• Official site