GRAND UNION SUPERMARKETS

GRAND UNION

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1872 - Jones Brothers Tea Company (later Grand Union Tea Company) is founded in Scranton, PA by Cyrus D. Jones.
          He was later joined by his two brothers.
1912 - The company had over 200 stores and over 500 horse-drawn delivery wagons.
1928 - The Jones family sold the company and it was officially renamed the Grand Union Tea Company.
1937 - David Pender Grocery Co. founded the Big Star Markets chain.
1940's - Big Star Markets stores are converted to the David Pender Co.'s Colonial Stores banner.
1946 - A proposed buyout by American Stores Company is turned down by Grand Union's shareholders.
1956 - Launches Grand Way Department Stores.
1957 - Grand Union operates 381 stores.
1960 - One of the United State's 10 largest supermarket chains.
1968 - Colonial Stores re-launched the Big Star name as it launched its discount grocery format stores.
1973 - 561 Stores - British corporate raider James Goldsmith acquires Grand Union.
1977 - Grand Union becomes a privately held company.
1982 - Grand Union acquired Colonial Stores (Big Star Markets) (VA, NC, SC and GA).
1984 - Grand Union sells its 10 Washington, DC area Basics Food Warehouse stores to Food-A-Rama.
1984 - Company sells 46 of its Texas-based Weingartens Stores to Safeway and closes the remaining 13 Weingarten Stores.
1985 - Grand Union sells its Florida stores to Tampa-based Kash n' Karry
1985 - Grand Union exits the Washington, DC market.
1988 - Grand Union sells the Colonial Stores/Big Star Markets stores in NC, SC and VA to Harris Teeter.
1987 - Grand Union becomes a publicly held company.
1998 - Grand Union sells its former Colonial Stores in VA, NC and Sc to Harris Teeter.
1989 - Investment banker Gary Hirsch (Penn Traffic Co., Big Bear, P & C Foods) acquired a portion of the Grand Union
          Company with Solomon Brothers.
1992 - Grand Union sells its Colonial Stores/Big Star Markets stores in GA to A & P.
1995 - Company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.(230 stores).
1996 - Grand Union emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and Gary Hirsch relinquishes control of the company.
1998 - Grand Union is the 19th largest supermarket chain in the United States with 221 stores and 2.5% of U.S. supermarket
          sales.
1998 - Company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June and emerges in August.
2000 - Company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the 3rd time in 5 years.
2000 - 197 stores in CT, NJ, NY, PA and VT.
2001 - C & S Wholesale Grocers acquires Grand Union's 197 stores with plans of selling them to other supermarket chains.
               36 stores are purchased by Royal Ahold's Stop & Shop
               20 stores are purchased by Royal Ahold's Tops
               17 stores are purchased by Shaw's
               6 stores are purchased by Pathmark
               6 stores are purchased by Delhaize's Hannaford's
               6 stores are purchased by CVS Pharmacies.
               5 stores are purchased by Key Foods.
               2 stores are purchased by Price Chopper.
               1 store is purchased by Marshall's clothing stores.
               48 stores closed.
               51 remaining stores are operated by C & S Wholesale Grocers as GU Family Markets.
2005 - C & S's Grand Union Family Market acquired 12 Tops Markets in New York. These stores were originally Grand Union
          supermarkets which were acquired by Tops in 2001.
2006 - Grand Union acquires 5 Tops Markets stores in Northeastern New York.