Wakefern Food Corporation

Wakefern Food Corporation
Company type	Cooperative
Industry	Grocery retail
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Keasbey, New Jersey, United States
Area served	New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
Key people	Mike Stigers (President)
Products	Grocery stores (ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market)
Revenue	US$20.1 billion (2024)
Number of employees	40,200 (2018)
Website	www.wakefern.com

Wakefern Food Corporation is a U.S.-based enterprise established in 1946, with its main office located in Keasbey, New Jersey. It stands as the largest supermarket cooperative in the nation and ranks fourth among all cooperatives across the United States. In 2018, Wakefern was recognized as New Jersey’s top private employer, with a workforce totaling 40,200 employees.

By 2023, Wakefern consisted of 48 affiliated companies operating a total of 365 grocery stores under various banners such as ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway Market. These outlets serve customers in regions including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The corporation reported revenues of US$20.1 billion in 2024, highlighting its substantial presence and expansion within the grocery retail sector.

Origin of the Wakefern name

The term "Wakefern" is a portmanteau derived from the surnames of its founding members: W represents Lawrence Weiss, A stands for Sam and Alex Aidekman, K denotes Abe Kesselman, E corresponds to Leo Eisenberg, and FERN comes from Dave Fern. The company launched its stores under the ShopRite brand in 1951.

Overview of the cooperative

Wakefern manages one of the largest trucking fleets in the Northeastern United States and is positioned as the fourth-largest cooperative nationwide. Its revenue increased from $16 billion in fiscal year 2016 to $16.3 billion in 2017. The company has earned notable accolades including the Retailer Excellence Award from Supermarket News in 2011 and was honored as Retailer of the Year by both The Griffin Report and Progressive Grocer. Additionally, Wakefern was featured among New Jersey’s Best Places to Work by NJBIZ Magazine in 2012 and ranked seventeenth by sales among U.S. supermarket operators as of 2011.

The cooperative developed and oversees the Price Rite limited-assortment chain, with locations spanning Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. It also owns Dearborn Market in New Jersey along with Readington Farms, Inc., which specializes in processing and distributing dairy products throughout several Northeastern states.

In 2013, Wakefern expanded its portfolio by integrating The Fresh Grocer brand—an eight-store chain headquartered in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania—following Burns Supermarkets’ entry into the cooperative. Some Fresh Grocer outlets maintained their original branding while others transitioned to ShopRite.

Wakefern supplies all member-operated ShopRite stores as well as Price Rite and Fresh Grocer chains along with Dearborn Market. Beginning in 2007, it extended wholesale services to supermarket operators outside its membership base. This initiative resulted in supply agreements with Gristedes and Morton Williams in New York City, Heinen's Fine Foods in Ohio, and The Market Place located in Bermuda.

The cooperative provides comprehensive support to its members through services such as IT solutions, insurance coverage, advertising campaigns, marketing strategies, merchandising assistance, and procurement management. Among its member retailers is Village Super Market, a publicly traded company.

As of 2023, Wakefern maintains seven distribution centers across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

On June 1, 2023, Mike Stigers assumed the role of president at Wakefern. Prior to this appointment, Stigers served as CEO of Cub Foods—a Minnesota-based grocery chain owned by United Natural Foods.

External links