Gala Foods Supermarket Chain Grows
Seven new Gala Foods Supermarkets have become part of Key Food Stores Co-Operative Inc., a chain of primarily independently owned and corporate grocery stores. The expansion brings the total number of Gala Foods stores to nine for Aurora Grocery Group, the Charlotte, N.C.-based parent company of the Gala Foods and GalaFresh Farms banners, which are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
Family-owned and -operated Aurora licensed its first locations under the Compare Foods Supermarket banner almost 30 years ago. To streamline operations and distribution channels, the seven locations have switched to the Gala Foods brand. Aurora has a total of 23 supermarkets operated by 13 owners.
“The wonderful thing about this transition is that all the qualities customers know and love us for, and the family-friendly atmosphere we deliberately created is still the same,” noted Jenny Jorge, general secretary of the Aurora Grocery Group board of directors. “We will continue to provide the same excellent service and variety of products with our new name, plus add lots of new features to improve the customer experience.”
The newly rebannered supermarkets have already undergone major remodels of their interiors and extensive technological upgrades of their point-of-sale systems. Upcoming changes include a customer loyalty program and an enhanced ecommerce experience that will feature a new website as well as delivery and online shopping options.
“Our customer is constantly evolving,” observed Aurora Chairman Omar G. Jorge. “As their neighborhood grocery destination, whose mission is to provide the best supermarket experience to the communities we serve, we will continue to evolve with them.”
Staten Island, N.Y.-based Key Food comprises more than 265 primarily member-owned and corporate grocery stores, with $2.7 billion in annual sales. In addition to Key Food, these stores operate under such other banners as Food Universe, The Food Emporium, SuperFresh, Food Dynasty and Gala Foods Supermarket in all five New York City boroughs, New York’s Long Island, upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.