Bristol Farms is an upscale grocery store, operating 13 locations in and around Los Angeles, CA. Starting as a corner store in Rolling Hills Estates, California; they have grown to be one of the most loved food chains in California. The fourteenth store, which operates as Lazy Acres is located in Santa Barbara, was eventually also purchased by Bristol Farms in 2005.

On October 29, 2010 Bristol Farms chain store was sold to a new company formed by a private investment firm, Endeavour Capital, and the Bristol Farms chain management team.

History
Started by Irv Gronsky and Mike Burbank who had worked together in the food industry for almost twenty years, Bristol Farms opened the first store in Rolling Hills Estates, California, back in 1982. They had great success operating the corner store that offered a butcher, baker, and grocery store all in one.

In June 1999, they acquired the famous Chalet Gourmet in Hollywood, California

By 2004, Bristol Farms was purchased by Albertsons, Inc… While under the ownership of Albertsons, Bristol Farms added additional stores throughout Southern California, including the purchase of Santa Barbara-based Lazy Acres.

In 2006, Bristol Farms opened its doors at the newly expanded Westfield San Francisco Center in downtown San Francisco, becoming the first Bristol Farms in Northern California. This San Francisco site covers more than half the space of the Concourse Level in the lower level of the mall.

In October 2005, Bristol Farms purchased Lazy Acres, from Albertsons.

Bristol Farms went on to purchase 3 more Albertsons locations in La Jolla, CA; Palm Desert, CA; and West Chester, CA

In a dramatic move on June 2, 2006, Bristol Farms parent company, Albertsons, Inc., was purchased by investors led by Cerberus Capital Management and Eden Prairie, MN-based SUPERVALU, Inc, and upon closing of the transaction, Bristol Farms became a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUPERVALU, Inc.

On November 12, 2008, Bristol Farms opened its seventeenth location; custom built from the ground up in Santa Clarita, California. New features at this location are:

  1. individual “shops” with full facades and themed props,
  2. a fresh juice and smoothie counter,
  3. a fresh sushi department with sushi made onsite every day,
  4. a coffee bar
  5. an eat-in café, and
  6. a wine area

On January 13, 2009, Bristol Farms announced that after 11 years the chain would be closing the Mission Viejo location. The store had been plagued by belonging to the Kaleidoscope Entertainment Center and faced declining year-to-year sales, partially brought about by the poor economic environment. This store officially closed on February 20, 2009.

On February 10, 2010, Bristol Farms announced that they will also be closing the Valencia, California location. Opened in late 2008, the store never generated heavy foot-traffic. The last scheduled day of operation was February 25, 2010.

On October 29, 2010 SUPERVALU announced that it had sold the Bristol Farms chain to a new company formed by a private investment firm, Endeavour Capital, and the Bristol Farms chain management team.

Stats
Headquarters: Carson, CA
No. of Stores: 13 (2010)
No. of Employees: unknown
Revenue: private company, unknown
Geography: 13 stores in California; Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Rolling Hills, South Pasadena, West Chester, San Diego, Newport Beach, Palm Desert, San Francisco, Westlake Village
Special Services: Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, grocery, meat, produce, seafood, snacks, wine/liquor

Banners
Bristol Farms, SUPERVALU, Albertsons

Brands
Bristol Farms carries all the well known, national brands found in large supermarkets, we well as their own.

Important links
Corporate Homepage
Online shopping
Circular and specials
Jobs
Store Locations
Contact information