Coborn’s expands with Sullivan’s Foods acquisition
- Coborn’s has acquired Sullivan’s Foods.
- The grocer has added 11 grocery stores, a c-store, three hardware stores, a warehouse and a corporate office.
- All of the stores are located in Illinois and will continue operating as Sullivan’s Food.
Coborn’s has agreed to purchase Sullivan’s Food, expanding its presence to Illinois.
According to a release sent to Retail Leader, Coborn's will acquire all of Sullivan’s Foods, including 11 grocery stores, one convenience store and fuel station, three Ace Hardware locations, a warehouse and a corporate office. The stores will continue to operate under the Sullivan’s Foods name, the release said.
With a presence in Illinois, Coborn’s will have locations in six states. The essential retailer already operates about 135 stores including grocery, gas, liquor and drug stores, across Minnesota (where it’s headquartered), North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
“The Sullivan family has run their family of stores with great care and is a highly respected retailer,” said Chris Coborn, chairman and CEO of Coborn’s, in the release. “We look forward to extending the same operating philosophies in these locations that have made us successful for 102 years – investing and training for our people, supporting our communities and investing in our stores to improve the experience for our guests. We look forward to having the entire Sullivan’s team join our team to learn more about their operations and communities.
“This is our first entry into the state of Illinois, so we have some things to learn, some added distance to figure out and to onboard their team into our organization,” Coborn added.
The specifics of the deal were not specified, but the sale is expected to close in early May, the release said. All of Sullivan’s Foods’ approximately 800 workers will be hired to work by Corbon’s, the release said. Coborn's most recent expansion was in 2021 when the retailer acquired six Tadych’s Econofoods grocery stores in Wisconsin.