FOOD FAIR

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1920's - Food Fair Stores founded by Russian immigrant Samuel N. Friedland in Harrisburg, PA.
1957 - Food Fair has 275 stores.
1958 - Food Fair purchases 40-store Jacksonville, Florida based Setzer's Supermarkets.
1961 - Food Fair acquires New England-based J.M. Fields Discount Department Stores with 33 locations in New Hampshire,
          Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York,  New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina and Florida.
1970 - Food Fair acquired Hill's Supermarkets (NY) from E.J. Korvettes.
1975 - Penn Fruit, a Pennsylvania supermarket chain, is acquired by Food Fair.
1978 - Enters Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.  Friedland family gives up control of the company.  The J.M. Fields Discount
          Department Store chain is sold.
1981 - Exits Chapter 11 bankruptcy, re-organizes with new corporate name:  Pantry Pride Stores, Inc. and moves company
          headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, FL.
1984 - Pantry Pride operates 122 supermarkets in Florida, southern Georgia, the Tidewater region of Virginia and the Bahamas.
1984 - Purchases Rhode Island Based Adams Drug Stores (approx 400 drug stores in the Northeast).
1984 - Purchases Devon Stores Corp., a 61-store home center chain with locations near U.S. military bases.
1985 - Acquires Revlon Corp. in hostile takeover bid.
1985 - Samuel Friedland died at age 88 in Miami Beach, FL.
1986 - With only a handful of stores (South Florida), Pantry Pride sells its remaining stores to Gristedes Supermarkets (NY)
          chairman John Catsimatidis. Now out of the retail grocery business, corporate name is changed to The Revlon Group
          and moves corporate headquarters from Fort Lauderdale to New York.
1991 - Catsimatidis takes on Fleming Group as a partner.  Some Miami area stores operate at Hyde Park Markets.
1991 - Last supermarket opened (Pantry Pride) in Sunny Isles, FL.
1993 - All remaining Pantry Pride Supermarkets are closed.

One of America's 5 largest supermarket chains, at its height, Food Fair operated 450 supermarkets along the Eastern Seaboard and, with its 50 J. M. Fields department stores, had annual sales of $2.5 billion.

 

Food Fair Stores, Inc.
Year # Stores Sales (Millions
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948*
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958		 9
14
22
34
67
73
75
77
73
89
89
89
95
105
113
123
151
162
196
216
238
273
283		 $ 5.7
$ 8.7
$ 13.8
$ 18.3
$ 24.5
$ 29.2
$ 34.1
$ 41.7
$ 42.2
$ 44.8
$ 60.6
$ 101.2
$ 121.8
$ 142.0
$ 164.6
$ 205.6
$ 259.6
$ 292.7
$ 348.2
$ 410.1
$ 475.2
$ 545.1
$ 600.9
Above Source:  Chain Stores In America 1859-1959
1984 122  

 

FOOD FAIR STORES

Click on images below to enlarge

1949 - Collingswood, NJ - Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

Baltimore, MD - 1963

Source: Baltimore Library Archives

Chester, PA - 1950's

Source: Old Chester PA

1960 - Miami, FL

New Port Richey, FL - 1962

Source: History of Western Pasco County

New Port Richey, FL - 1962

Source: History of Western Pasco County

1955 - Grand Opening - Levittown, PA



Source: Levittown Public Library

Grand Opening - Glen Burnie, MD



Source: DC Grocery

Washington, DC



Source: DC Grocery

Annual Report

1960's Prototype - Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

1966 - Philadelphia, PA Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

1960 - Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

1950's - Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

National Cash Register Advertisement

Source: DC Grocery

Needlebook with old Food Fair Logo - Source: Carl Cestaro

Needlebook - Source: Carl Cestaro

Puzzle

Food Fair Stock Certificate

Employee Tie Pin

Toy Train Car - Source: Carl Cestaro

Employee Pin

Employee Pin

Merchants Green Stamps Redemption Book

Source: Rusty Cans

Source: Root Beer World

California stores ad

1967 - Newspaper Ad - New York

Matchbook

Employee Pin

 

PANTRY PRIDE SUPERMARKETS

Click on images below to enlarge:

Stamford, CT - 1976



Source: Stamford Historical Society

Stamford, CT - 1976



Source: Stamford Historical Society

Baltimore, MD - 1981



Source: Food-A-Rama

Needlebook - Source: Carl Cestaro

Trailer Truck - Rebadged from Food Fair to Pantry Pride

Source: Root Beer World

Uniform

Source: Root Beer World

1988 Pantry Pride TV Commercial

 

J. M. FIELDS DEPARTMENT STORES
Click on images below to enlarge:

Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

Source: Pleasant Family Shopping

 

HILL'S SUPERMARKETS
Click on images below to enlarge:

Source: Root Beer World

 

HYDE PARK MARKETS  (Miami)

Click on images below to enlarge:

1990's - Miami Beach, FL

 

PENN FRUIT

Click on images below to enlarge:

A Penn Fruit Store in Virginia.

 

Other Investments of Samuel N. Friedland
Diplomat Resort & Country Club, Hollywood, FL
Shelborne Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
Presidential Golf & Country Club, North Miami, FL

Additional Information About Ron Perelman

Through his political connections, Perelman, made a rather unfortunate mark on national politics:
it was he who helped get Monica Lewinsky her infamous White House internship in the Clinton Administration. - Ask Men.com

Other Business Interests of Ron Perelman


Revlon Cosmetics


Marvel Comics


Coleman Company
(camping products)


Sunbeam Inc.
(appliances)


Consolidated Cigar Holdings

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