Wakefern Welcomes 48th Member to Co-Op

Gerrity’s Supermarkets to be rebranded as Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer

6/27/2022

Upon Gerrity’s Supermarkets' conversion, the stores will be rebranded as Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer, a Wakefern banner.

Pennsylvania-based Gerrity’s Supermarkets, owned by the Fasula family, has become the 48th member to join the largest U.S. retailer-owned grocery cooperative, Wakefern Food Corp.

Gerrity’s began in 1895 as a small meat market and grew to become a supermarket in 1980. Today, it’s the largest family-owned supermarket business in northeastern Pennsylvania, employing more than 1,300 people. The company operates in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Northampton counties and consists of 10 supermarkets, three Ace Hardware stores and a home office. Gerrity’s is owned by Joyce “Mom” Fasula and her son, Joe.

As a result of joining Wakefern, the stores under the Gerrity’s Supermarkets banner will be rebranded as Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer, one of the co-op’s banners. Currently there are 11 The Fresh Grocer stores located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, each independently owned by Wakefern co-op members.

“The Fasulas are a strong addition to our cooperative and another family-owned business that provides an exceptional experience and quality fresh foods for its customers and a great place to work for its associates,” said Joseph Colalillo, Wakefern’s chairman and CEO. “Membership in our cooperative allows independent operators like the Fasulas to maintain their entrepreneurial spirit while benefiting from the scale and services Wakefern offers.”

As food co-ops continue to rise, many communities are starting to see the benefits of adopting a healthier and more environmentally friendly alternative to grocery shopping, according to National Co+op Grocers’ “2021 Food Co-Op Impact Report.”

“Our family is excited to join the Wakefern cooperative, which is committed to helping family-owned businesses like ours gain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing and challenging industry. Wakefern will help us save our customers money and provide an enhanced assortment of products to our customers, including high-quality, on-trend private label foods, and [the] increased buying power of a cooperative,” said Joe Fasula.

As Gerrity’s begins its transition to The Fresh Grocer banner over the next few months, customers can expect to see Wakefern’s exclusive lines of private-brand products, Bowl & Basket and Paperbird. Earlier in the year, Bowl & Basket Specialty Gorgonzola and Walnut Ravioli won a 2021 PLMA Salute to Excellence Award in the Food & Drink Pasta category.

Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises more than 40 members that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people. The company is No. 25 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 listing of North America’s top food and consumables retailers in North America.