AWG Converting 5 Former Dahl’s to Price Chopper

Associated Wholesale Grocers is converting five of the seven Des Moines, Iowa-area Dahl’s stores it purchased in January to its Price Chopper banner. The remaining two stores will be rebranded, but the banner has yet to be determined.

Price Chopper, based in Kansas City, Mo., operates more than 50 stores in the metro area and is owned by five families. The new Des Moines locations will be operated by AWG, also based in Kansas City, and will continue to be run by Craig Moore, Dahl’s former CEO. The five stores will be remodeled, with work scheduled to begin on the first location in April.

The new Price Chopper stores are expected to have lower prices on thousands of items and will offer discounts through the Price Chopper Rewards program. They will also feature fresh meat counters and large produce departments.

"Depending on the needs of the store, we will include additional departments such as delis that include prepared meals, catering, bakeries and organic/whole foods sections," Casie Broker, Price Chopper spokesperson, was quoted as saying in The Des Moines Register. "Some stores include cafe areas for guests to dine in. We won't know specifics for each store until further into the remodeling process."

Much like in the Kansas City market, the biggest competition for the new Des Moines stores will be Hy-Vee, which is based in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Dahl’s, which first opened in 1931 and had 10 locations in 2014, filed for bankruptcy Nov. 9. A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the company’s assets on Jan. 30, with AWG buying seven of the 10 locations. Convenience chain Kum & Go Inc. and Equity Ventures Commercial Development each purchased one location. The remaining location was not sold.