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Ukrop's is a family-owned and operated grocery store chain located in central Virginia and headquartered in Richmond.
[edit] BackgroundThe chain was founded in 1937 by Joseph Ukrop. The company has 28 stores[1], mostly in the Richmond area, as well as two stores in Williamsburg one of which closed January 31, 2009 due to low sales[2], and one each in Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Roanoke, and Fredericksburg. The Roanoke store will close October 24th, 2009 due to low sales and a market that is heavily saturated with Kroger stores. Ukrop's also operates a specialty store in Richmond called Joe's Market, named after the founder. The company chairman in James Ukrop, son of Joseph; James' brother Robert is president and chief executive officer. In July 2009 a trade magazine reported that Ukrop's was for sale, and was courting Supervalu and Harris Teeter as potential buyers. [edit] Other Corporate TiesMany locations feature a pharmacy, First Market Bank and a cafe. Ukrop's has Starbucks Coffee stores in some locations. In 1997, Ukrop's established a unique partnership with National Commerce Financial Corporation in which it co-owns 25 First Market Bank branches in Ukrop’s locations and 10 free-standing branches First Market Bank. The company's also co-owns the Richmond Kickers, which was bought by CEO Bobby Ukrop for his aspiring professional soccer player son, Robert Ukrop.[citation needed] [edit] Community OutreachEach year, Ukrop's gives a minimum of 10 percent of its pre-tax profits to the community. Ukrops courtesy clerk workers also take the customer's groceries to their car and put them in the car. Part of this donation takes place through the "Golden Gift Program". Customers shop at the store during a certain period of time and receive points for their purchases. They then can choose who their "points" go to. This can include churches, nonprofits or other community organizations. The money is distributed accordingly.[3][not in citation given][citation needed] Ukrop's sponsors the annual Ukrop's/SuperValu Christmas Parade on Broad Street in Richmond. It also sponsors one of the largest 10k running events in the United States, The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K. [edit] Fuelperks!In June 2008 Ukrop's teamed up with Uppy's gas stations and launched a gas saving program called fuelperks!. When the program started out customers received a discount of 10 cents off per gallon of gas on a fillup for every $50 they spent in the store. The savings are stackable so there's no limit to how much a customer can save. On January 5, 2009 due to the declining fuel prices and in an attempt to cut prices in the store, the Fuelperks! savings went from a 10-cent to a 5-cent discount for every $50 spent.[4] The company's website has stories up from customers who have literally received FREE tanks of gas or paid as low as $2 to fill up their vehicle.[5] [edit] ManufacturingThe Ukrop's Food Group, a division of Ukrop's Super Markets Inc., operates a central bakery and kitchen featuring baked goods and prepared meals. In 1976, Ukrop's bought Dot's Pasty Shop, a well-known bakery in Richmond. It used the name Dot's Pastry Shop for years before changing it to Ukrop's Bakery. Ukrop's was also one of the first companies to launch a chilled prepared foods line with entrees customers could heat in the microwave for a quick, easy meal. In 2009, Ukrop's launched Oven Bakes, a line of family-size entrees, side dishes and desserts that can be heated in the oven and enjoyed without any extra preparation.[citation needed] [edit] External links
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