# Grocery Outlet

> Grocery Outlet is an American extreme-value retailer that sells name-brand and private-label groceries at prices generally 40% to 70% below conventional supermarkets. Founded in 1946 in San Francisco, it built a flexible 'opportunistic buying' model that scoops up overstock, closeout, and out-of-spec products from suppliers and resells them through a network of locally run, independently operated stores. The treasure-hunt assortment changes constantly, and each store is run by entrepreneurial Independent Operators who split profits with the company and tailor shelves to their neighborhood.

- **Founded:** 1946
- **Headquarters:** Emeryville, California, United States
- **Founders:** James Read (Founder (with wife Bobbie Read))
- **Team size:** Approximately 1,700 corporate employees plus thousands of staff employed by Independent Operators across the store network.
- **Products:** Discount name-brand groceries, Fresh departments, NOSH and general merchandise, Wine, beer and spirits, Independent Operator program
- **Notable:** Grew from a single San Francisco surplus store founded with about $800 into a $4.69 billion public retailer., Completed a successful Nasdaq IPO in June 2019; shares rose about 37% on the first day., Expanded to roughly 563 stores across 16 states as of late 2025.

## Products & services

- **Discount name-brand groceries** — Overstock, closeout, and out-of-spec name-brand and private-label products sold at 40%-70% below conventional supermarket prices.
- **Fresh departments** — Produce, fresh meat, deli, dairy, and frozen foods alongside the bargain center-store assortment.
- **NOSH and general merchandise** — Natural, organic, specialty, and healthy items plus rotating non-food merchandise, health and beauty, and seasonal goods.
- **Wine, beer and spirits** — Discounted name-brand and private-label alcohol where licensed.
- **Independent Operator program** — An owner-operator franchise-like model where local entrepreneurs run individual stores and split store gross profit with the company.

## Achievements

- Grew from a single San Francisco surplus store founded with about $800 into a $4.69 billion public retailer.
- Completed a successful Nasdaq IPO in June 2019; shares rose about 37% on the first day.
- Expanded to roughly 563 stores across 16 states as of late 2025.
- Pioneered a distinctive Independent Operator model that blends corporate scale with local ownership.
- Built recurring community fundraising programs supporting local food banks and food-insecurity efforts.

## Latest updates

- **2024-10** — President and CEO RJ Sheedy stepped down and resigned from the board.
- **2025-02** — Jason Potter, former CEO of The Fresh Market, joined as president and CEO effective February 3, 2025.
- **2025** — Announced a restructuring plan, scaling back store and warehouse expansion to about 33-35 net new stores and spending up to $61 million to refocus on existing and adjacent markets.
- **2026-03** — Announced the closure of about 36 underperforming locations as part of network optimization.

## Links

- Website: https://www.groceryoutlet.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grocery-outlet
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/groceryoutlet
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grocery_outlet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroceryOutletInc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/grocery-outlet
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02