B&R Stores, Inc. announced an agreement to buy a family-owned grocery store in Kearney.
The Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, June 16, 2008 7:00 pm
B&R Stores, Inc. announced an agreement to buy a family-owned grocery store in Kearney.
The Lincoln-based supermarket chain said Tuesday it plans to complete the purchase of Grand Central Apple Market in Kearney by the end of the month. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Marty Jarvis, director of marketing for B&R Stores, said B&R’s president, Pat Raybould, knew the store’s owners, Eugene and Twyla Simpkins, and when they expressed a desire to retire, he worked out a deal to buy the store.
There are other Grand Central Apple Markets across the Midwest, including one in Fairbury, but Jarvis said B&R is buying only the one in Kearney. The store will continue to operate under the Grand Central Apple Market name, he said.
The 22,500-square-foot Kearney store is slightly smaller than B&R’s smallest Russ’s Market, Jarvis said, and is a nice geographical fit for B&R, which has a Super Saver in Grand Island and a Russ’s Market in Hastings.
“The Grand Central supermarket has been a cornerstone of the Kearney community for 39 years, and its legacy as a family-owned business continues on,” Raybould said in a statement. “We’re excited about the potential of the Grand Central Apple Market too, as it’s already a fundamentally strong business.”
Raybould said the company would meet with each Grand Central employee and it is his hope that most will continue to work at the store once B&R takes over.