"In 1956, George Weston Limited, the parent company of Loblaws Companies Limited, bought National Supermarkets and primarily footed the bill through a substantial loan. By the '60s, it became apparent that Weston had focused too heavily on expansion, and for the next decade, profitability took center stage. In 1976, following significant attempts to reinvest in the fast-sinking chain, the company sold 63 supermarkets to A&P."
"The U.S. was slowly shifting towards one-stop convenience, expecting to find everything at a single location. And, in 1988, the opening of a Walmart superstore in Washington, Missouri, proved catastrophic for the city's National Supermarket. By 1995, George Weston's grandson, Galen Weston, admitted defeat and sold its stores, quietly shuttering National Supermarkets across the country. Today, Walmart is America's largest grocery store chain, while National Supermarkets remains a distant memory."
National Supermarkets achieved record profits of $600 million in 1956. George Weston Limited purchased the chain that same year, financing the deal largely with a substantial loan. Heavy expansion in the 1960s undermined profitability, prompting reinvestment efforts and the 1976 sale of 63 stores to A&P. The U.S. retail shift toward one-stop shopping accelerated decline; a 1988 Walmart superstore devastated a local outlet. By 1995 Galen Weston sold and shuttered the remaining stores. Subsequent transactions transferred 57 stores to Schnuck Markets, with 28 passed to Schwegmann Giant Supermarkets.
#national-supermarkets #george-weston-limited #walmart-competition #schnuck-markets #grocery-consolidation
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