The 1980s Family-Owned Grocery Chain That's Quietly Expanding Out West

One family-owned grocery chain that dates back to the '80s has slowly and steadily been growing over the decades. There's Kroger, the Ohio-based grocery retail giant that's taking over America, Trader Joe's with its ever-growing fanbase, and then there's Ridley's, a family retailer that appears to be taking over the mountain states.

Ridley's Family Markets began in 1984 as a single neighborhood food and drug store in Payson, Utah. It's owned by Jerry Ridley, a former store manager for Safeway, and his wife, Connie. What started as a small community grocery has steadily expanded through acquisitions of independent, family-run markets, which are then brought into the Ridley's network. One of its early buyouts was a small grocer called Farmer Jack in Idaho and Utah.

Over the next few decades, Ridley's continued to expand across Idaho and Utah before adding stores in Nevada and Wyoming, eventually extending into Colorado and Montana. Today, the chain operates 31 stores and two stand-alone pharmacies. What stands out is that even under Ridley's ownership, many locations still retain their original local names, preserving their community identity.

Ridley's motto, "Small enough to serve you. Large enough to save you money", seems to be something that the chain takes to heart. The company emphasizes preserving local jobs and retaining existing staff, while maintaining the character of each store to preserve a neighborhood feel and offer lower prices than larger chain competitors.

One focus that sets Ridley's apart from larger grocery conglomerates is its emphasis on family-run operations. Most recently, Ridley's Family Markets acquired Khoury's Markets, a family-owned grocery chain in Nevada. The company said in a press release that it would work closely with the Khoury family to ensure a smooth transition. Ridley's has also acquired Utah-based Terrel's, a store that was already connected to the Ridley family through a long-standing relationship, citing shared values between the two grocers. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Ridley's, but its steady expansion suggests it is unlikely to follow the path of those defunct grocery chains you probably forgot ever existed.