Family Fare Explained

Family Fare
Type:Subsidiary
Foundation: in Holland, Michigan, U.S.
Hq Location City:Byron Center, Michigan
Hq Location Country:U.S.
Locations:83 (2022)
Founder:Don Koop
Industry:Retail / Grocery
Products:Bakery, dairy, delicatessen, frozen foods, grocery, lottery, pharmacy, produce, meats, snack food, liquor, flowers, and Western Union
Services:Supermarket
Area Served:Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Parent:SpartanNash

Family Fare is an American supermarket chain. It was founded in 1966 in Holland, Michigan, and acquired by Don Koop in 1973. The chain was largely located in central-western Michigan for most of its history, with stores in Holland and the Grand Rapids area. It has been owned by SpartanNash (formerly Spartan Foods) since the 1980s. Family Fare expanded in Michigan in the first decade of the 21st century by acquiring locations from other SpartanNash stores in Michigan, including Great Day, Prevo's, and Glen's Markets. Conversions of other stores in the 2010s expanded Family Fare throughout the Midwestern United States, adding stores in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

History

The first Family Fare store opened in 1966 in Holland, Michigan. It was an existing supermarket which was acquired in 1973 by Don Koop.[1] [2] By the 1990s, the chain was owned by Spartan Stores (now SpartanNash), and had added locations in Byron Center and Lowell.[3] Family Fare expanded into Indiana in the late 1980s with four stores, but closed all four in 1995.[4]

In 2004, Spartan began consolidating most of its nameplates into two brands: Glen's Markets in northern lower Michigan, and Family Fare in southern lower Michigan. This change rebranded three locations of Prevo's Markets in Grand Rapids (which themselves had previously been known as Daane's) to Family Fare, as well as the Great Day chain, while the rest of the Prevo's became Glen's.[5] [6]

Spartan expanded Family Fare in 2007 when some locations of Felpausch were converted (mostly in the Battle Creek, Michigan area), with others becoming D&W Fresh Market instead.[7] Family Fare began expanding into northern Michigan in 2010 when a Glen's (formerly Ashcraft's) in Midland was converted.[8] Starting in 2013, Spartan converted more Glen's to Family Fare;[7] the conversions finished in 2014 with Frankfort and Sault Ste. Marie.[9] Other locations were rebranded from D&W Fresh Market around the same time, including Rockford and Grandville.[10] [11]

In November 2014, the first locations opened in the Fargo, North Dakota metropolitan area through conversions from Econofoods and Sunmart.[12] Two years later, Family Fare entered Omaha, Nebraska through the conversion of the No Frills brand.[13] Further conversion from Econofoods in 2018 resulted in the chain's first stores in Minnesota.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ron Kunnen Obituary (2019) Grand Rapids Press.
  2. Firm conviction: Grocery chain sticks to conservative ways. Sunday: The Magazine for the Lord's Day. 1989. Lord's Day Alliance of the U.S.. 77-82.
  3. News: Lowell grocery stores open, close, and change . The Grand Valley Ledger . 1 . 25 February 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150225061436/http://lowellnewspaper.iserv.net/The%20Grand%20Valley%20Ledger/1987/04_April/04-01-1987.pdf . 25 February 2015 .
  4. News: Buyer of Family Fare to close 1, expand 3 . South Bend Tribune . February 24, 1995 . November 2, 2019 . B3.
  5. Web site: Prevo's to become Glen's Market. O'Brien. Bill. 9 March 2004. Traverse City Record-Eagle. 25 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150225044119/http://archives.record-eagle.com/2004/mar/09prevo.htm. 25 February 2015. dead.
  6. Web site: Family Fare Supermarket on Cascade Road to close this weekend. Wilson. Rick. 1 January 2012. mlive.com. 25 February 2015.
  7. News: Spartan to Convert Felpausch to D&W, Family Fare . Jon . Springer . Supermarket News . August 6, 2007.
  8. News: Glen's Markets disappear as last stores convert to Family Fare Supermarkets . . November 7, 2014.
  9. Web site: Glen's Markets disappear as last stores convert to Family Fare Supermarkets. Martinez. Shandra. 7 November 2014. mlive.com. 25 February 2015.
  10. Web site: Grandville D&W to become a Family Fare grocery store. Martinez. Shandra. 26 August 2010. mlive.com. 25 February 2015.
  11. Web site: Why Rockford's upscale D&W Fresh Market is being rebranded budget-friendly Family Fare. Martinez. Shandra. 22 July 2012. Mlive.com. 25 February 2015.
  12. Web site: SpartanNash expanding Family Fare stores beyond Michigan. Martinez. Shandra. 1 November 2014. mlive.com. 25 February 2015.
  13. Web site: No Frills will become Family Fare, add features to compete in Omaha market . Omaha.com . May 26, 2015 . January 30, 2020 . Barbara Soderlin.
  14. Web site: Family Fare banner, additional offerings, customer-first focus highlight $500,000 renovation of Red Wing store . SpartanNash . September 12, 2018 . January 30, 2020.