 | |
 Glen's Markets inOscoda, Michigan, before conversion to Family Fare. | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Grocery |
| Founded | 1951; 74 years ago (1951), inGaylord, Michigan |
| Founder | C. Glen Catt |
| Fate | Converted toFamily Fare |
Area served | Michigan |
| Products | Grocery items |
| Parent | SpartanNash |
Glen's Markets was an Americansupermarket chain. Founded inGaylord, Michigan in 1951 by C. Glen Catt, the chain had more than 30 locations acrossNorthern Michigan and theUpper Peninsula. Expansions in the 1980s onward came through location acquisitions of other chains, including Ashcraft's and Prevo's. For most of its history, Glen's Markets were an affiliate of Spartan Stores (nowSpartanNash), which bought the chain outright in 1999. Starting in 2010, Spartan began converting Glen's stores to theFamily Fare name, with the last ones being converted in 2014.
The first Glen's Market was opened in 1951 inGaylord, Michigan by C. Glen Catt, in a store originally known as Vincent's. The store was expanded later in the 1950s, just as Glen's became affiliated Spartan Foods (nowSpartanNash). Stores inKalkaska andGrayling opened in 1956 and 1959.[1] Throughout the 1970s, the original three stores were relocated to new buildings, while many more were added throughout northeastern Michigan. The locations inRose City andMio were both converted fromIGA, whileMancelona andRoscommon were both converted fromA&P.[2] By 1981, Glen's operated 11 stores, with a 12th under construction at the time inRogers City.[1]
The chain expanded into theUpper Peninsula of Michigan in 1986 by purchasingRed Owl locations inSt. Ignace,Munising,Sault Ste. Marie, andIron Mountain, along with a newly built store inEscanaba. The latter two were sold only two years later, while both Munising and Sault Ste. Marie were relocated in the early 1990s. In 1992, Glen's acquired former Giant locations inPetoskey,East Tawas, andAlpena, followed by a second Petoskey location in a former Buy Low Foods a year later. The East Tawas store, along with an existing store in Alpena that opened in 1988, were both closed and converted toSave-A-Lot in 1997. The same year, the Gaylord store was thoroughly remodeled, adding aDairy Queen franchise. After C. Glen Catt retired, he sold the business to his son, Glen A. Catt.[2]
Spartan Stores, now known asSpartanNash, bought Glen's in 1999, having been a supplier of products for the chain for decades prior.[3] At the time of the sale, the chain was owned by Glen Catt's grandson, also named Glen Catt, and it comprised 23 stores, 4 pharmacies, and a warehouse inWaters, Michigan. Not included in the sale were several other properties still owned by the company at the time, including the Save-A-Lot franchises, and the shopping center adjacent to the Gaylord store.[4] Under Spartan's ownership, the Glen's name was expanded in 2004 when Spartan consolidated most locations ofTraverse City-based Prevo's and all locations ofHarrison-based Ashcraft's into Glen's.[5] In 2012, the Glen's stores inClare andMarion, both former Ashcraft's, were converted to a new discount brand called Valu Land.[6]
At this point, Spartan also began rebranding Glen's stores toFamily Fare. The first to change over was theMidland store, also a former Ashcraft's, in 2010.[7] Throughout 2013 and 2014, Glen's locations increasingly converted to Family Fare, ending withFrankfort andSault Ste. Marie.[8] The only exceptions were the two locations inPetoskey, where one rebranded by Spartan asD&W Fresh Market,[9] while the other location was closed, before being bought byHobby Lobby in 2014.[10]