Central Grocers joins Topco Associates

Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Topco Associates LLC said that Joliet, Ill.-based Central Grocers has joined its cooperative, expanding its retail, wholesale and foodservice companies’ membership.

“I am excited for this strong retailer-owned wholesaler to join our membership,” stated Randy Skoda, Topco president and CEO. “We look forward to partnering together to help Central Grocers fulfill their mission of serving the true independent grocer in their local market.”

Central Grocers supplies popular grocery retailers such as Strack & Van Til, Tony’s Finer Foods, Ultra Foods and Sunset Foods and will participate in Topco’s grocery, dairy/bakery, meat, deli, produce and floral programs. Topco expects to have the wholesaler fully transitioned by the first quarter of 2017.

“Topco’s innovative approach to finding business solutions in the grocery industry will be of significant benefit to the members we serve in more than 500 independent grocery stores,” said Ken Nemeth, president and CEO of Central Grocers. “We envision that their buying power will help us maintain customer-friendly pricing in our intensely competitive markets, while Topco’s expertise in quality assurance, packaging and sustainability will help us improve overall in-store efficiency,”

Formed in 1917, Central Grocers has grown to become a $2 billion, member-owned, grocery wholesale cooperative. The wholesaler supplies more than 500 independent retailers in the Chicagoland and northwest Indiana areas with groceries, produce, fresh meat, service deli items, frozen foods, ice cream and is the exclusive distributor of the Centrella brand.

Topco is a $15 billion privately held company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers and food service suppliers.