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1976 - 1986 |
| AWG’s purchase of 20 Kroger stores and subsequent sale of these store to its members ushered in this decade of growth. The development of the Price Chopper/Price Mart and Country Mart concepts and the rollouts of Always Save and Best Choice gave retailers the tools necessary to satisfy a price conscious public. These discount concepts and alternatives to national brands were an immediate success. One of the first Price Chopper stores was so busy that the Kansas City Fire Marshall (on several occasions) ordered the doors closed due to overcrowding. |
| As consumers began spending more money at restaurants (38 cents of every food dollar), retailers searched for a way to satisfy the public demand for convenience and ready-to-eat items. This brought about the addition of the bakery-deli department at AWG, and the first Price Chopper |
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to offer these departments opened in 1985.
Warehouse improvements included the installation of an automated produce area in the Kansas City facility and an automated order carousel in the Springfield warehouse that could process orders for eight stores simultaneously. By 1980, warehouse space topped more than 1.2 million square feet, and the company had reached its first $1 billion in sales. |
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