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 self-service grocery store, and the originator of various familiar supermarket features, such as checkout stands and individual item price marking. The company operates as a franchise system, with all locations franchised and owned and operated independently by several different owners. It is currently headquartered in Keene, New Hampshire, although no Piggly Wiggly-branded stores operate in that state. As of 2024, 503 independently owned Piggly Wiggly stores currently operate across 18 states, primarily in smaller cities and towns.
Piggly Wiggly, LLC is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable as the first true self-service grocery store, and the originator of various familiar supermarket features, such as checkout stands and individual item price marking. The chain is known for serving smaller communities where it maintains a loyal customer base. Franchise owners operate independently while receiving support in marketing, merchandising, and distribution through the corporate office and its parent company C&S Wholesale Grocers.
History
Piggly Wiggly was founded by Clarence Saunders on September 6, 1916 (although it did not open until five days later due to delays in construction), at 79 Jefferson Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. Piggly Wiggly introduced the innovation of allowing customers to go through the store, gathering their goods. The format proved so efficient that losses due to easier shoplifting were more than offset by profits from increased impulse purchasing. By the end of that first year there were nine Piggly Wiggly locations around Memphis.
The concept of the “self-serving store” was patented by Saunders in 1917. Customers at Piggly Wiggly entered the store through a turnstile and walked through four aisles to view the 605 items sold in packages and organized into departments. The customers selected merchandise as they continued through the maze to the cashier. Piggly Wiggly were the first company to use point of sale lanes for payment. The store operated on a strictly cash basis—credit was eliminated—which reduced costs that were passed on to consumers through lower prices.
By 1922, there were 1,200 Piggly Wiggly stores across the country. Saunders moved quickly to capitalize on the concept’s success by issuing stock and taking the company public in 1922. At its peak in 1932, the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million.
However, Saunders’ tenure as founder and leader proved brief. In November 1922, Saunders attempted a short squeeze on the substantial short interest in the stock, running the share price up from 40 to 120 and profiting by millions on paper. The Stock Exchange Governors responded by deciding that a corner had been established in Piggly Wiggly and removed the stock from the Board, eventually forcing Saunders to turn over his assets to the banks that had financed his leveraged position. Saunders reputedly lost $9 million in the attempted corner. In August 1923, with payments due imminently on his loans, Saunders resigned as president of Piggly Wiggly and relinquished all his property—his stock, his cars, even the Pink Palace—to his creditors. A year later, he filed for bankruptcy.
Following these events, the company was divided into strategic units, which were sold to regional grocery chains, including Kroger, Safeway, National Tea, and Colonial. In 1928, Kroger purchases a controlling interest in Piggly Wiggly Corporation, and also buys approximately 400 franchised Piggly Wiggly stores, mostly in the Midwest (and including the original stores in Memphis). In 1935, all 179 Canadian Piggly Wiggly were also sold to the Canadian Safeway division, which merged with Sobeys in 2013. Prior to this, three stores in Texas were sold to the emerging H-E-B in 1927.
In 1941, Kroger sells its controlling interest to W.R. Lovett of Jacksonville, Florida, who operates the parent company until his death in 1978. During this period, the company transitioned to a franchising model, with the corporate entity licensing the Piggly Wiggly name and format to independent grocery operators. According to John Brooks, Piggly Wiggly’s “greatly changed corporate structure … flourished into the 1960s”, and hundreds of stores operated under a franchise agreement with the Piggly Wiggly Corporation of Jacksonville, Florida.
Piggly Wiggly was acquired by the wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde in 1982. Malone & Hyde was acquired by Fleming Companies in 1988. Fleming filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 1, 2003, amid $3 billion in liabilities and declining sales in a consolidating industry. Fleming filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and C&S Wholesale Grocers acquired most of the business, including Piggly Wiggly. C&S acquired regional warehouses Piggly Wiggly Carolina in 2013 and Piggly Wiggly Midwest in 2021.
Operations & Footprint
Piggly Wiggly operates under a franchise model where individual stores are independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs, while Piggly Wiggly, LLC licenses the brand and provides essential support services to ensure consistency across the network. This structure allows franchisees flexibility in daily management, including purchasing decisions, while the company offers branding guidelines, marketing programs, and promotional materials to maintain a unified customer experience. As an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC, Piggly Wiggly benefits from integrated retail services that include merchandising assistance and operational best practices.
Piggly Wiggly stores operate in 18 states, concentrated in the Southeast and Midwest. They have stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The chain is strongest in smaller cities and rural communities, where local operators manage stores that often serve as anchors in their towns. Some of the stores in Alabama have formed Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Company, a retailers’ cooperative to manage distribution while using the Piggly Wiggly name.
Products, Services & Merchandising
Piggly Wiggly stores emphasize a wide selection of fresh produce, meat, bakery items, deli preparations, and pharmacy services in many locations, alongside private-label products that offer quality comparable to national brands at lower prices. The stores maintain the original self-service format pioneered by Saunders, with clearly marked prices and organized departments. Many locations offer sub-brands such as “Food for Less,” reflecting varied pricing and positioning strategies across the franchise network. Merchandising varies by individual franchisee based on local market conditions and customer preferences.
Business Model & Financial History
Piggly Wiggly operates on the thin-margin economics characteristic of grocery retail. The original self-service model reduced labor costs significantly by eliminating the need for clerks to assemble customer orders. This cost saving enabled Saunders to offer lower prices and higher product variety than traditional grocery stores, driving growth through volume and impulse purchases. The success of Piggly Wiggly was phenomenal, and other independent and chain grocery stores changed to self-service in the 1920s and 1930s. At its peak in 1932, the company operated 2,660 stores and posted annual sales in excess of $180 million.
The franchise model proved durable over time. Rather than operating company stores, the Piggly Wiggly Corporation (and later its successors) licensed the format and brand to independent operators who absorbed the capital investment and operational risk. This approach allowed the brand to survive ownership transitions, bankruptcies, and market consolidation that eliminated many competitors. The acquisition by C&S Wholesale Grocers in 2003 gave the brand access to reliable distribution, warehousing, and procurement power, stabilizing the network after Fleming Companies’ collapse.
Recent Developments & Outlook
Since its acquisition by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Piggly Wiggly has stabilized as a community-focused franchise brand in 18 states. C&S acquired regional warehouses Piggly Wiggly Carolina in 2013 and Piggly Wiggly Midwest in 2021. These consolidations brought regional operations under unified corporate oversight while maintaining the franchise structure. The brand has positioned itself in markets where local ownership and community relationships provide competitive advantages over national chains.
Piggly Wiggly faces ongoing competition from larger grocery chains, big-box retailers, e-commerce platforms, and dollar stores that have gained share in rural and small-town markets. The chain’s strength lies in its heritage, local operator knowledge, and established customer loyalty in regions where it has operated for generations. Future growth appears linked to selective expansion in underserved markets and the ability of independent franchisees to adapt store formats and services to local needs while maintaining consistency with the Piggly Wiggly brand promise.
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