In 1946, 8 ‘Mom and Pop’ Stores Came Together to Form ShopRite. 80 Years Later, It’s Still Family-Owned
In 1946, 8 ‘Mom and Pop’ Stores Came Together to Form ShopRite. 80 Years Later, It’s Still Family-Owned
Chiara KimMon, September 28, 2026 at 8:54 PM UTC
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ShopRite was founded in 1946 as eight mom and pop stores joined togetherCredit: Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM vis Getty -
After opening 80 years ago with eight mom and pop shops joining together, ShopRite has grown into a cooperative with family-operated stores across six states
Its Partners in Caring program has donated nearly $51 million to food banks and local charities
A New Jersey ShopRite gave its $30,000 lottery commission to a nearby food bank in 2024
After 80 years in business, ShopRite has stuck to its roots.
The supermarket chain, which has the slogan “families serving families,” has grown from a group of eight grocery stores in 1946 into a cooperative spanning six states — and the stores are still family-owned.
Per the ShopRite website, the brand was founded in 1946 by a coalition of eight “mom and pop grocers” to create the Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative.
“They soon realized the benefits of operating under one unified and recognizable name,” the website said of the original store owners.
The chain now has locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Its stores are operated by families, who have their own unique philanthropic interests in addition to running the stores, from supporting local food banks to helping animal organizations and schools.
Local ShopRites are family-ownedCredit: Dick Kraus/Newsday RM via Getty
“Our family owned stores have been rooted in the community for generations,” the ShopRite website says.
The Kinsley family, which has owned a store in Pennsylvania since 1950 (for three generations), grew from a meat market to the “world’s largest ShopRite.”
The website said the family has long supported local organizations like The Salvation Army and the American Cancer Society, along with local churches, sports teams and fire departments. The store also has a focus on sustainability.
“In 2023, the ShopRite of Brodheadsville unveiled a 10-acre solar array to reduce the store’s energy use, and we are proud to meet EPA GreenChill Gold standards for sustainable refrigeration, using only non-ozone-depleting refrigerants,” store president Christopher Kinsley Sr. said on the website.
Another impactful ShopRite family is the Bottino family, who runs four stores in South Jersey and has worked with ShopRite since 1977. The Bottinos help families impacted by cancer.
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“We launched the Bill Bottino Cancer Foundation in 2016 as a way to honor our family patriarch, Bill Bottino, who lost his life to cancer in 2006,” said Bill Bottino Jr., the president of the foundation, per the website. “Through the foundation, we help families cover the cost of expenses like utilities, food or household items.”
He added, “We know what it is like to have a loved one experience cancer and how important it is to focus on healing — without the distraction of bills. Removing that burden for someone else is a way of helping those in our community, while also honoring my father’s memory.”
ShopRite also focuses on community service with its dedicated partnership to fight food insecurity.
Since 1999, the company’s ShopRite Partners in Caring program has helped companies that fight hunger through proceeds from products with a certain shelf tag, per the ShopRite website.
The company said it has donated nearly $51 million to food banks supporting over 2,200 charities since the program’s inception.
The ShopRite Partners in Caring website adds that “nearly $3 million is donated annually to food banks and local organizations that work to alleviate hunger in our neighborhoods” through the shopping program.
ShopRite also supports the Community Food Bank of New Jersey through food, money and volunteer hours, per the ShopRite website.
“ShopRite grocery stores are dedicated to helping customers and their communities thrive,” the website said.
In 2024, when the winner of the $1.13 billion Mega Millions prize got the winning ticket from a ShopRite liquor store in Neptune, N.J., the company said it was donating its $30,000 commission check to the ShopRite Partners in Caring program.
Saker ShopRite CEO and president Richard Saker said at the time, “This check will go directly to Fulfill, which is the local food bank that is right up the street from Monmouth and Ocean County. I’m sure the food bank is really going to appreciate this donation.”
PEOPLE reached out to ShopRite for comment.
on People
Source: “AOL Money”
