KANSAS CITY, Ks. – Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) celebrates its 90th anniversary today. Since its incorporation on March 29, 1926, AWG has prosperously grown from a group of 20 independent grocery retailers to serving now more than 3,000 retailers.
“AWG is proud of the growth, revenue and success we’ve seen in our 90-year history,” said David Smith, president and CEO of AWG. “We serve our members by reducing expenses, providing resources to overcome competition, and cultivating dedicated employees guided by a strong leadership team.”
AWG was created to provide its family-owned retail member stores the essential building blocks needed to establish themselves in each of their different marketplaces. AWG provides support services, educational programs, and financial returns to member retailers in addition to grocery products. The collective strength of the cooperative model has provided ongoing opportunities for independent retailers to develop unique and sustainable businesses. These businesses have grown, despite an ever-changing retail environment.
“Our model has proven successful for 90 years,” added Smith. “Together, we have survived and thrived in a marketplace of big box stores thanks to the passion of our member retailers, Board of Directors, employees, and suppliers.”
From humble beginnings to its record sales of $8.9 billion in 2015, AWG has expanded from one warehouse to nine and serves retailers in 31 states. This success has proven that independent grocers are stronger together.
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About Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG)
Established in 1926, AWG is a 90-year old retailer-owned grocery cooperative, headquartered in Kansas City, KS with annual sales of nearly $9 billion. AWG’s existing full-line distribution centers are located in Kansas City, KS; Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Southaven, MS; Goodlettsville, TN; Fort Worth, TX; and Pearl River, LA. Its VMC operations are located in Fort Scott, KS, and Memphis, TN. AWG currently has approximately 600 member-owners and services over 3,400 retail outlets in 31states. For more information, visitwww.awginc.com or follow @AWGCorporate on Twitter.
Source: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG)
