Sweetbay Supermarket - Kash N' Karry History

Kash N' Karry History

Salvatore Greco, an Italian immigrant, sold fruits and vegetables in the streets of Tampa beginning in 1914. In 1922, he and his wife Giuseppina opened a storefront at their home. The Greco family built a proper store in 1947 under the name Big Barn in Plant City, Florida. The business expanded and they had opened nine stores by 1960 with the name of Tampa Wholesale. In 1962, the name changed again to Kash n' Karry, based on the cash and carry program of World War II. People would bring in their "cash" and "carry" out their own groceries. They left out nonessential parts of supermarkets like contests, customer service representatives, and samples.

Kash n' Karry was acquired by Lucky Stores of California in 1979. After American Stores acquired Lucky in 1988, it sold Kash n' Karry to leveraged buyout firm Gibbons, Green, and van Amerongen. As the buyout was being completed, Kash n' Karry bought 24 Florida Choice supermarkets from Kroger, who was closing the chain. On the dissolution of Gibbons, Green, Leonard Green & Partners became the controlling stockholder. Kash n' Karry filed for bankruptcy in 1994.

Kash n' Karry held an IPO in 1995. In December 1996, Kash n' Karry became a wholly owned subsidiary of Food Lion. In July 2000, after Food Lion's acquisition of Hannaford, the holding company Delhaize America, Inc., was created. As a result, Kash n' Karry became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delhaize America.

In 2002, Kash n' Karry pulled out of the competitive Orlando market with only one store remaining in Clermont, Florida, which as of 2013, has since closed . Two of three stores were closed in Gainesville, Florida.

On Wednesday, August 29, 2007, news reports said that the last Kash n' Karry store in Crystal River, Florida, closed, marking the end of the Kash n' Karry brand and the full conversion to Sweetbay Supermarket.