| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Corunna, Michigan, 1981 |
| Founder | Al Kessel |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Fate | purchased byKroger |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 24 |
Area served | Flint, Michigan-Saginaw, Michigan, area |
| Products | Groceries |
| Owner | Al Kessel |
Kessel Food Markets was an Americansupermarket chain based inMichigan. It began in 1981 whenOwosso, Michigan, native Al Kessel, a former executive vice president ofHamady supermarkets, purchasedKroger locations inCorunna andSaginaw. Kroger closed these stores due to Michigan's poor economy at the time, and failure to reach union agreements.[1] After Kroger closed all five of itsFlint locations in 1982 for the same reasons, Kessel purchased them as well, followed by 13 Hamady stores after that chain filed for bankruptcy in 1991. At its peak, Kessel Food Markets comprised 24 stores.[2] Kessel filmed his own television commercials for the chain,[3] in which he would throw items into a grocery cart and state, "Save at Kessel this week. Why? Because we're with you."[2]
The Kessel chain was frequently targeted by workers' unions in Saginaw.[3] By 1999, four of the Kessel stores had been converted toSave-A-Lot or closed, while the rest were sold to Kroger, which briefly continued to operate them under the Kessel name before converting them.[4] Kessel's company, Kessel Enterprises ofGrand Blanc, Michigan, continued to operate the Save-a-Lot stores and localPet Supplies Plus stores.
Kessel died December 28, 2012, at age 74 ofesophageal cancer, inNaples, Florida.[5][6][7]