Southeast USA
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Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly, America’s first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916 by Clarence Saunders. The chain pioneered a revolutionary retail model that shifted power from clerks to customers, allowing shoppers to select items directly from shelves rather than presenting lists to store employees. Piggly Wiggly is notable as the first true…
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Lowes Foods
Lowes Foods started in 1954 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, with a single store opened by Jim Lowe, former co-owner of what became Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. The chain initially grew in the mountains of North Carolina and rural areas of Virginia, but starting in the late 1990s, it expanded in metropolitan areas of North Carolina…
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Ingles Markets
Ingles Markets opened its first supermarket in Asheville, North Carolina in 1963, founded by Robert Ingle, a member of a third generation grocery family. The chain targeted underserved smaller towns and rural communities throughout North and South Carolina that were being underserved by large grocery chains. A largely family-controlled regional operator focused on the Southeast,…
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Harveys Supermarkets
Harveys Supermarket was founded by J. H. and Iris Harvey in Nashville, Georgia, in 1924. The chain operated as a regional grocer serving primarily rural and small-town communities across the Southeast, particularly in Georgia and Florida, for over a century before ceasing operations in 2026. In 2026, Winn-Dixie Group discontinued the Harvey’s brand, and all…
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Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie is a supermarket chain headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, serving communities throughout five southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Known as “The Beef People” throughout its history, the chain has built brand identity around its private label Chek soft drinks, offered in more than 20 flavors. Founded in 1925, the company operates both…
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Publix
Publix Super Markets, Inc., doing business as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and past employees and members of the Jenkins family. Publix operates throughout the Southeastern United States, with locations in…
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Save-A Lot
Save A Lot was founded in 1977 by Bill Moran as an alternative to larger supermarkets, with the first store opening in Cahokia, Illinois. Moran remained with the company until his retirement in 2006. The chain is headquartered in St. Ann, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. At the root of the company’s growth strategy is…
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Food Lion
Food Lion was founded in 1957 in Salisbury, North Carolina, as Food Town by Wilson Smith, Ralph Ketner, and Brown Ketner. The chain operates over 1,000 supermarkets in 10 states: Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Food Lion’s success has centered around its low-price, high-volume strategy; by…