Jewel-Osco is an American supermarket chain headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. They have 182 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and parts of northwest Indiana. Jewel is headquartered in Itasca, while being a subsidiary of Minnesota-based SUPERVALU.
History
In 1899, Frank Vernon Skiff founded Jewel in Chicago, Illinois, as a door-to-door coffee delivery service. In 1902, Skiff partnered with Frank P. Ross, renaming the venture the Jewel Tea Company. By 1929, the company built a new office, warehouse, and coffee roasting facility in suburban Barrington, Illinois, creating hundreds of local jobs despite the Great Depression. Area residents nicknamed the new, five-story headquarters the “Gray Lady” due to its sophisticated art deco style.
In 1932, Jewel acquired the Chicago unit of Loblaw Groceterias, Inc., then a chain of 72 self-service stores, as well as four Chicago grocery stores operated by the Middle West Stores Company, and began operating them under the name Jewel Food Stores, Inc. In 1934, Jewel Food Stores merged with Jewel Tea Company. In the 1960s and 1970s, Eisner Food Stores, located in downstate Illinois and west central Indiana, became part of the Jewel Company. Sometime in the early 1980s, those stores were converted to the Jewel name. In 1981, Jewel sold its home shopping service, which now operates under the name “J.T’s General Store”.
In 1999, Albertsons acquired American Stores’ holdings, including Jewel and Jewel-Osco stores. Seven years later, parent company Albertsons and its stores would be taken over by two separate groups. On May 30, 2006, shareholders approved the break-up of Albertsons. All Jewel-Osco and Jewel Food Stores outside of Springfield, Illinois were now wholly owned by SUPERVALU. The Springfield stores, meanwhile, were acquired by an investment group led by Cerberus Capital Management. Both of those have since been sold to Niemann Foods, an independent operator of grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in Central Illinois which now operates them under the Cub Foods–County Market brand. All free-standing Osco drugstores are now owned by CVS. SUPERVALU continues to license the Osco name for pharmacies within Albertsons, Jewel, Star Market and Shaw’s.
SUPERVALU announced on January 5, 2007, that it would offer for sale its Jewel-Osco stores in the Milwaukee area. Pick ‘n Save agreed to take five of the 15 stores, while two other stores were purchased by Lena’s Food Market. SUPERVALU announced to its workers that the remaining stores, if unsold, would close at the end of March, 2007.
Before 1970, Jewel stores were typically very successful because they were located on arterial city streets. However, between 1970 and 1990, Jewel moved or expanded most of its stores to be freestanding buildings with ample parking. After the Company acquired Osco in 1961, and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Jewel built and operated many side-by-side stores, but most construction after 1983 consolidated Jewel and Osco stores together as one large store under one roof. Today, the two stores present to the customer as one unit.
Until 2010, Jewel and Osco stores under the same roof have had separate operations, managers, ordering and receiving procedures, budgets, and employees. A 2010 cost-saving measure will bring both Jewel and Osco oversight under one store director for each site.
Stats
Headquarters: Itasca, Illinois, U.S.
No. of Stores: 182 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwest Indiana (2010)
No. of Employees: 45,000 (2010)
Revenue: $x unknown
Geography: 182 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwest Indiana
Special Services: Party Planning, Gift Center, Total Photo, Meat & Seafood, Fresh Produce, Natural & Organic
Banners
Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy, The Market, Hornbacher’s, Jewel, Lucky, Osco & Sav-on Pharmacy, Save-A-Lot, Shaw’s, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, Star Market, Supervalu Pharmacies.
Brands
Wild Harvest, Stockman & Dakota, Baby Basics, Culinary Circle, most national brands as well as their own.
Important links
Corporate Homepage
Online shopping
Circular and specials
Jobs
Store Locations
Contact information
I wish to know if I can order Benefiber from your company Jewel/ Osco. I cannot get it here in N.C. A reply would be helpful. Thank you, Rebecca
I was a Jewel Home Sopping Service man. A Jewel Tea man. I went door to door 1969-1981 in Michigan. I covered 15 cities and had 500 customers. My problem is who bought the Jewel route business? And is there still routes that are working. I would like to ride along for one day. I also have some Autumn Leaf dinnerware that I would like to sell. Where do I go? I really would like to find a Jewel Tea route!!! I live in NY an hour from Albany. Phone is 518-747-6814
I really don’t understand the new policy regarding the employees bagging groceries that follow the customers out to their cars to retrieve the cart, it seems to me it is a waste of man power, I am still physically able to perform the task of getting the groceries into my automobile and I have never stolen a cart and I never will.
Jewel has been pushing for customers to check themselves out by not opening up check out lanes, now they are trying to intimidate customers with large amounts of items to do the same. My thought is the same idiot that rearranged the shelves about three years ago is at it again, why doesn’t he get a political job as he would be right at home in Washington, DC.
Between Jewel/Osco I probably spend over $8000.00 a year, I am now looking for a new place to shop because I know the price of food at your stores will be going up to support all this extra help, it would have been better spent on cashiers.
Strike one-self checkout
Strike two-dropping hundreds of items and rearranging the store
Strike three-trying to raise prices on me again/your out!
Walmart or Woodmans here I come! Bye Bye