Nearly 150 years ago, The Great American Tea Company opened a store on Vesey Street in New York City and began selling tea, coffee and spices at value prices. Soon stores sprung up all around the metropolitan area and salesmen took their wares to the road in horse-drawn carriages bound for New England, the mid-west and the south.
In 1869 the Company was renamed the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, in honor of the first transcontinental railroad and hopes of expanding across the continent.
America's Grocery Store
A&P did extend its operations to the West Coast and became the first national supermarket chain in the United States. Over the years, the Company pioneered many innovative concepts that set trends and satisfied customers.
A&P Lead the Way
In 1880, A&P introduced the first private label product - baking powder. As the Company grew, private manufacturing became an important aspect of its business and by the 1920s, A&P had opened its own factory, packing plant and bakery with private brands such as Sunnyfield (bacon, butter, flour and cereals) and Sultana (canned goods, peanut butter and jams).
A&P attributes much of its early customer recognition to its advertising and promotional activities. It launched the original customer-loyalty program in the late 1800s with premiums and savings coupons.
The Company continually focused on upgrading and redefining its store base. In 1912, John Hartford initiated the first "no frills" grocery format in America with the opening of the A&P Economy Store in Jersey City, NJ. This cash and carry store, with plain furnishings and fixtures, offered no credit, no deliveries and no premiums - just quality groceries at very low prices. By 1915, A&P's premium program had died out due to the success of the Economy Stores.
Another A&P concept was the self-service store, a precursor to today's supermarkets. With this store format, introduced in the 1930s, customers were able to select their own groceries without the assistance of a clerk; a concept that resulted in increased sales volume and lower costs.
The premium concept was revitalized during the 1960s with the introduction of Plaid Stamps. Many Americans may recall pasting stamps in coupon books and redeeming them for premium items such as snack trays and Lazy Susans.
America's Grocery Store
In the 1930s A&P was America's #1 grocery store operating close to 16,000 stores with sales of more than $1 billion. The Company's vast advertising and promotional activities reached so many consumers that A&P became part of American culture.
During that era, the Company developed Woman's Day magazine through a wholly owned subsidiary, The Stores Publishing Company. It also sponsored its own Radio Hour featuring popular artists such as Kate Smith, and Harry Horlick and the A&P Gypsies. And, it participated in the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago with a 2,000 seat amphitheater and numerous attractions.
The popularity of A&P continued to soar through the 1960s, when the Company was renowned as the industry leader with $5.4 billion in sales, over $1 billion more than the nearest chain competitor.
But times were changing and populations were shifting. In 1979, after more than a decade of decline, the Hartford family members and the John A. Hartford Foundation sold the majority of A&P shares to the Tengelmann Group of Germany. Also a family run business, founded by the forefathers of Christian Haub, Chairman, President and CEO of A&P. Tengelmann is the majority shareholder of A&P.
Family of Supermarkets
During the 1980s, A&P launched the Super Fresh banner in the Philadelphia division and acquired a number of other banners - Food Emporium in New York, Waldbaum's in the New York suburbs - all of whom have long and rich histories in the communities they serve.
Today, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. is a family of supermarkets that includes A&P, Waldbaum's, The Food Emporium, A&P Super Foodmart, Super Fresh, Pathmark, and Food Basics.
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc., is proud of its Company's heritage and the expectations it sets. As A&P moves forward in the 21st Century, its goal is to continue to serve its customers with fresh concepts, fresh foods and fresh ideas.
For more details on A&Ps history, click onto the timeline and take a nostalgic peak at the past through pictures and highlights from the Company's history.
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
Milestones by Decades
No comments:
Post a Comment