Hy-Vee Acquires Three Sunshine Stores

In a deal that underscores its commitment to customers and employees in both cities, Hy-Vee, Inc. is acquiring two Sunshine Foods stores in Sioux Falls, S.D., and one in Windom, Minn. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based regional grocer, which currently operates five supermarkets in Sioux Falls and one in Windom, will convert the stores to its namesake banner.

“Sioux Falls is a key market for Hy-Vee, and the addition of these two stores will enable us to expand our services to more customers in more areas of the city,” said Paula Correy, VP of Hy-Vee’s Western Region. “In Windom, we will be able to replace our outdated store with a newer, larger facility. We are proud to be making this major investment that will position us well for future growth in both communities.”

Brent Bosch, general manager of Sunshine Foods, said his company also was looking to the future in deciding to sell the stores to Hy-Vee.

“The timing was right,” Bosch said. “This is a great opportunity for both companies and for our employees. It will help fuel our growth and allow us to reinvest in some of our rural communities.”

Bosch said Sunshine had been approached by other supermarket companies in the past, but never seriously considered any offers until the owners began talking to Hy-Vee representatives.

“Sunshine Foods feels honored and grateful that one of the best grocers in America approached us with this opportunity,” he said. “We knew from the outset that we only wanted to do business with an organization that shares our values and our focus on customer service. When we entered discussions with Hy-Vee, we realized that our two companies were a great fit. Hy-Vee has a track record of genuine caring for customers, employees and the community.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Sunshine Foods will close its store at 3809 East 10th Street in Sioux Falls. The company will continue to operate its downtown Sioux Falls store and stores in nine other communities: Brandon, Madison, Hartford, Tea, Lennox and Canton, S.D.; Jackson and Madelia, Minn.; and Rock Rapids, Iowa. Bosch said Sunshine is planning upgrades for some of its stores, including the downtown Sioux Falls store.

Officials from the employee-owned Hy-Vee -- which operates 230 stores in eight Midwestern states -- were in Sioux Falls earlier this week to meet and talk with Sunshine Foods employees at the affected stores.

“Beginning next week, we will conduct interviews with all current Sunshine employees who would like to work for Hy-Vee, and it’s likely we’ll hire many of them,” said Correy. “We are looking forward to adding their knowledge and experience to the Hy-Vee team.”