This Once-Popular Grocery Chain Was Booming In The '50s But Didn't Make It To The 2000s

There is something bizarre about grocery chain closures; it's like losing a fragment of everyday life. Rewind to the 1950s, though, and National Supermarkets (also known as National Tea Co.) was flying high. It had emerged from the Great Depression — more than many chains could say — and, in 1956, celebrated record profits of $600 million. Unfortunately, though, its luck was about to disappear. 

In 1956, George Weston Limited, the parent company of Loblaws Companies Limited, bought National Supermarkets and primarily footed the bill through a substantial loan. By the '60s, it became apparent that Weston had focused too heavily on expansion, and for the next decade, profitability took center stage. In 1976, following significant attempts to reinvest in the fast-sinking chain, the company sold 63 supermarkets to A&P. These profits didn't last long (and, for those wondering whatever happened to A&P grocery stores, their future wasn't much brighter). The final nail in the coffin, though? A familiar name: Walmart. 

The U.S. was slowly shifting towards one-stop convenience, expecting to find everything at a single location. And, in 1988, the opening of a Walmart superstore in Washington, Missouri, proved catastrophic for the city's National Supermarket. By 1995, George Weston's grandson, Galen Weston, admitted defeat and sold its stores, quietly shuttering National Supermarkets across the country. Today, Walmart is America's largest grocery store chain, while National Supermarkets remains a distant memory.

Given the later success of Loblaw Companies Limited, National Supermarkets feels like one of those forgotten grocery stores that should still exist today. Yet, perhaps selling the chain was merely good decision-making: Galen Weston handed the reins to Schnuck Markets Inc.

Schnuck bought 57 stores in total and handed 28 to Schwegmann Giant Supermarkets, ultimately eliminating National Supermarkets, its primary competitor. However, while National Supermarkets had slipped steadily towards demise, its 1995 acquisition by Schnuck Markets Inc. was anything but smooth. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there were concerns that the acquisition would violate antitrust laws — essentially allowing Schnuck Markets to dominate too much of St Louis, Missouri. The sale went ahead, but was a stark reminder of the bureaucratic nature of the industry. 

Let's be honest: The supermarket industry is a race of "who can adapt the fastest." Schnucks has its own reputation for innovation. You might have heard that it launched a fresh format grocery store, Schnucks Fresh, in 2021. That same year, Schnucks also introduced "Tally," a robot that roams the aisles checking shelf inventory. Too bad for National Supermarkets that it didn't see these developments.