Ukrop's Homestyle Foods wanted in Shenandoah Valley Martin's

Here's my personal plea to Robert Ukrop: "Please bring Ukrop's Homestyle Foods to the Martin's Food Market in Staunton."

I guess I should direct that more at Martin's owners since they would make the decision.

Irregardless, it's somewhat maddening to see two weekly Martin's ads ... one that advertises Ukrop's goodies and the other that doesn't.

The Sunday food ad in the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a Martin's ad that is peppered throughout with Ukrop's items. The Martin's ad in the Waynesboro News-Virginian has a regular ad ... no familiar green-backed "Ukrop's" emblems anywhere.

I had hoped -- wished? -- when Martin's took over a few months ago that they would ship some of those familiar Ukrop's foods to the Valley for those of us who know them, and for those who could fall in love with them just like generations of Richmonders did. So far, nothing.

Today's Times-Dispatch has an excellent article about the new Ukrop's Homestyle Foods and describes how the Ukrops hope to not only supply foods for Martin's but also expand into other markets.

Hey, Mr. Ukrop! Come to the Shenandoah Valley!

Anyone who reads this blog knows the long history my family has had with Ukrop's Supermarkets. Their lingering presence in Richmond is a good thing. Martin's has added "Ukrop's Homestyle Foods" signs on their stores and kept the "Ukrop's Cafes." It has made it easier for Richmonders to wean themselves from Ukrop's Supermarkets by providing the foods that made those supermarkets so popular.

Foods like chicken salad, White House rolls, triple cheese mac and cheese, rainbow cookies, cakes are still available in Richmond area Martin's. And therein is the rub.

Would people in the Shenandoah Valley learn to love the Ukrop's foods craved by those of us who grew up with it?

Hey, Mr. Ukrop! We have three Martin's stores in this area ... Waynesboro, Staunton, and Harrisonburg. We'd love to have some chicken salad! Oh, and don't forget the White House rolls!

Maybe one day....

UPDATE: Bob at The Journey has joined in on the request to have delicious Ukrop's goodies in Martin's stores in the Valley....

You know you're from Richmond if ...

... you mourned the closing earlier this year of Ukrop's Supermarkets ... and you're celebrating the 80th anniversary of Bill's Barbecue restaurants.

Ukrop's says thank you for 73 wonderful years

In what must be one of Ukrop's last ads in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the family dedicated the entire back page to remember and thank the Richmond community for welcoming them into their kitchens for 73 years.

As the final Ukrop's stores transform into Martin's, the supermarket many of us grew up with is closing but the family has fond memories and reminds that they will be around still baking and cooking some of the best from the Ukrop's kitchens.

Their farewell letter:

Thank you for 73 years of wonderful memories!

Our family is grateful for the thoughtful letters, cards, and good wishes shared since our announcement. The outpouring of affection has been overwhelming and is very much appreciated.

Now that the transitions are almost complete, we hope you are please to see that MARTIN'S is already making a visible impact in our community through sponsorships and donations. It has delivered on its commitment -- to bring terrific prices -- to all the same store locations -- with the same friendly associates -- serving your same favorite Ukrop's kitchen and bakery items.

Since food is our passion, we will continue to operate our kitchen and bakery. Associates are hard at work -- cooking and baking the items pictured here with an even greater sense of purpose. Whether it's White House Rolls, Chicken Salad, or Birthday Cakes, you can continue to count on us to help you create memories by preparing fresh, convenient, and delicious food for your family for man years to come.

Thanks again for your support. It has been and will always be a pleasure to serve you!

The Ukrop Family

Full color photos accompanied the letter, pictures of ham biscuits, birthday cakes, ready-made dinner meals, chicken salad on a White House roll, chocolate fudge pie, chocolate layer bar cake, and more.

I haven't been around for 73 years but I can certainly thank the Ukrop family not only for their clean, service-oriented grocery stores (I've written previously about those) but also their presence in the community, their charitable donations, their open door to just about any group that asked for help, and their willingness to be part of the community.

Those Ukrop's paper grocery bags have been a part of our home most of my life ... we even made book covers out of them while I was in school.

Here's a heart-felt "thank you" to the family. We look forward to continuing to support Ukrop's food products and gracing our tables with chicken salad and White House rolls!

Ukrop's becomes Martin's ... and Tom White isn't impressed

Being a Ukrop's customer for years, the entire episode of selling their stores to Martin's Food Market has been front-burner attention for me.

So when I read the BNN headlines and saw Tom White's post, I Went to Martin’s. I Shopped at Martin’s. Martin’s, You Are No Ukrops!, I immediately clicked on it.

I began to read ... and then I began to giggle ... and then I laughed out loud. SWAC Husband wanted to know what was so funny. I mumbled that I was reading something by Tom White (they know each other) and continued reading and giggling and he asked again what was so funny.

I finished reading, started to give him a synopsis, and then asked, "You want me to read it out loud to you?" Sitting across the room on the sofa reading the morning newspaper, he said yes, so I began to read just as I used to read to my children. With inflection in voice and using my best "Tom White" immitation along with a higher-pitched feminine "clerk" voice, I shared Tom's adventure in MartinLand and we both laughed at his remembrance of the shopping trip from ... well, let's just say it was unpleasant.

In full disclosure, I've lived away from Richmond for a number of years and so had to find a Ukrop's wanna-be a long time ago, and two of the best were Harris-Teeter and Lowe's Foods.

Several years ago Martin's came to Staunton, Waynesboro, and Harrisonburg so it has been my local grocery store of choice for a while. My hope now is that the Richmond Martin's stores will ship some of that yummy Ukrop's food to Valley stores. (Ukrop's food division will continue to provide chicken salad and bakery products that were always a trademark of the Ukrop family.)

Service, cleanliness, and quality products were what made me a Ukrop's lover even though, like Tom, I cook quite a lot so didn't necessarily need their ready-made foods. I loved the freshness of their produce and meats, and stayed away from the prepared stuff because, like him, price counts with me. No need paying someone else to chop all those salad makings when I can do it myself.

But when you needed a quick meal or lunch, there was no place better ... and a ready-made London Broil panini on sunflower bread was always a favorite.

I'll continue to shop Martin's in Staunton. I'll probably continue to shop the Martin's-that-took-the-place-of-Ukrop's in Richmond. But somehow I'm not sure Martin's can maintain a hold on 24 Richmond area stores especially with episodes like the one relayed by Tom.

Ukrop's was a destination. When you become like any other grocery store, then any other grocery store will do.

Ukrop's not HAMpered by last-minute Christmas request

[Encore post from 12/21/2007 ... one reason why Ukrop's was so loved in Richmond.]

My brother-in-law is a general contractor with a large commercial builder currently working on a job in Charlottesville which causes him to commute daily from Chesterfield. This morning his Christmas cheer was almost sidelined but Ukrop's Supermarkets came to the rescue....

This post is not a slam on Kroger but, rather, a tribute to Ukrop's because they go over and beyond the call of duty. They also prove that shopping the local "mom-and-pop" stores often provides better service than the chain stores whose employees may not be invested in the company.

My brother-in-law ordered 30 hams ($900) from Kroger last week with instructions that they were to be picked up at 7:00 this morning. These were Christmas gifts for his employees on this last day of work before the long Christmas weekend.

When he arrived at Kroger's this morning there were no hams ready and no manager available (the manager was supposed to be there at 7:00). Crunched and needing to hit the road to Charlottesville, he sat in his company truck in the parking lot and called Ukrop's ... yes, they had 30 hams. He arrived 20-30 minutes later to pick them up.

Ukrop's not only had the hams boxed when he arrived and the ticket written up ... but he was given an unasked-for discount at the register.

Service. That is what is often missing in today's society ... but service has always been a priority at Ukrop's, a store my family has shopped at since the 1960s.

My sister emailed to tell the story, adding that she told her husband to drive safely to Charlottesville or he would be on the news ... can you see the headline?

"Breaking News! Hams spilled on I-64 create two-mile backup."

Thanks, Sis, for my laugh-out-loud of the day!

Ukrop's ... a family-owned business that is still owned and run by the family ... and it shows in their service and commitment to the community.

Richmond's Ukrop's stores to become Martin's Food Markets

The sale of Ukrop's Supermarkets has been finalized and they will begin transforming into Martin's Food Markets owned by Giant:

Many analysts have said that Ukrop’s long-standing policy of closing on Sundays and not selling alcohol caused the family-owned chain to lose its top place in the Richmond market to Food Lion, owned by Belgium-based Delhaize Group.

The rebranded Ukrop’s stores will sell beer and wine and remain open on Sundays. Giant-Carlisle said the Ukrop family will continue to provide kitchen and bakery products to the stores. The stores include 19 pharmacies, which will continue to operate with their current pharmacists.

Martin's is the supermarket of choice here in Staunton because it is the closest thing to a Ukrop's I could find in the Shenandoah Valley with quality fruits, vegetables, and meats. Their comfortable cafe with sofas, tables, and fireplace is a gathering place for friends and to hook up the laptop to complimentary Wi-Fi.

Thank you to the Ukrop family for their years of service to the Richmond area community. They will be missed.

Richmond ... Snow is coming! Snow is coming! Head to Ukrop's!

I grew up in Richmond with the snow warnings and Ukrop's runs and everything else this article tells us about. My mom, who is snug in her home in Richmond fully stocked up on provisions and looking forward to the snow, sent this over for a few giggles. Those of you in Richmond ... head to Ukrop's!

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch and every meteorologist in town, Richmond is going to get a nice snowfall this weekend … up to a foot, some people say. The snow is supposed to start as early as Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday.

In case you're new to Richmond, let me tell you how we do it here.

- Someone, somewhere, says snow is coming to Central Virginia.
- We Richmonders start paying attention.
- Someone says it's coming to Richmond.
- We Richmonders really start paying attention.
- Someone brandishes the word "accumulation."
- Done. Finished. Over. We who call Richmond home all-out lose our minds. In the case of this snow, it happens like this:

Tuesday morning: The word "accumulation" is used.
Tuesday afternoon: Accumulation confirmed. All weekend plans put on stand-by or out-right canceled.
Tuesday evening: First trip to Ukrops for bread, milk, and cookie dough.
Wednesday morning / afternoon: Calls around town for sleds begin. For the record, Richmond.com is one step ahead. No one has any sleds but Pleasant's is expecting a shipment on Friday.
Wednesday evening: Second trip is made to Ukrops for extra bread and milk, plus frozen pizzas and non-perishables, because you never know. Local news does a story about the 'run' on Ukrops for bread and milk.
Thursday morning / afternoon: Spend workday obsessively checking the forecast. More calls for sleds. Search online for sleds, but decide against them because you can't believe how much sleds actually cost.
Thursday evening: Meet friends out for dinner because you never know when you'll get out again. Realize you forgot to buy bagels. How could you forget bagels? Third trip to Ukrops.
Friday morning: Alternate staring out window for snow and consulting forecast for exact snow start time. Cancel the rest of your weekend plans.
Friday afternoon: Weather.com reports that it is snowing in your area. Run to window. Spend at least an hour yelling at weather.com because it is clearly not snowing. Ask boss about company's inclement weather policy. Complain about said policy. Wait an hour; ask boss if company is closing early.
Friday evening: Fourth trip to Ukrops, on the way home, for last-minute necessities - like chocolate and fancy hot cocoa. Alternate staring out window and watching local news for exact snow start time. Watch the Closings scroll to see if your work is closed on Monday, because you never know.
Friday night: Snow finally begins. Call/text all of your friends and family to see if it's snowing in their area and to make sure they're OK in the storm. Update Facebook status to reflect snowfall, in case you missed anyone. Order pizza so you don't have to break into rations too soon.
Saturday morning: Marvel at snowfall. Fling pets / children into the snow so they can marvel and so you have pictures for your Facebook page.
Saturday afternoon: Drive or trudge to nearest hill and attempt to sled on a cookie sheet/shower curtain/trashcan lid/pool float.
Saturday evening: Meet friends out for dinner to celebrate the snow.
Sunday: Eat leftover pizza and stare out the window, watching the snow melt. Obsessively watch Closings list. Feel happy when the schools in your county will be closed, and then sad because you never became a teacher --- and now you have to go out, clean off the car and then go to work tomorrow.

PLUS - you've got all that bread and milk to eat and drink!

Too funny ... and too true. We Richmonders, even those of us who have relocated to other areas of the state or country, still know the drill when inclement weather is on the horizon. I'm heading to the grocery store -- sadly, there are no Ukrop's in the Shenandoah Valley -- stocking up on wood, and ready to get the chili pot going. The snow is coming!

H/T to Mom ... enjoy the snow!

Richmond loses pillar: Ukrop's Supermarkets sold to Giant

Ukrop's has been sold.

I'm happy for the Ukrop family if this deal was what they needed but it's a sad day for thousands who have patronized Ukrop's supermarkets for years.

Giant Foods announced today that they had acquired Ukrop's for $140 million:

... Giant-Carlisle, a Division of Ahold USA, will expand its presence in Virginia by acquiring 25 stores from Ukrop's Super Markets, Inc. Ukrop's is a family-owned business based in Richmond, Virginia. The transaction includes 25 stores, inventory, equipment, lease agreements and one new store location. Furthermore, Giant-Carlisle will hire Ukrop's store associates. The purchase price is approximately $140 million.

The Ukrop announcement:

"Today Ukrop's is announcing that we are leaving the retail grocery business," said Bobby Ukrop during the press conference this afternoon at the Sheraton West Richmond Hotel.

The Ukrops will continue their presence in the Richmond business world:

"While the retail business will no longer exist, there will be Ukrop's still involved in the food business," [Bobby] Ukrop said, announcing that he will be the CEO of a new enterprise of Ukrop's kitchen and bakery products & goods to be sold in the Giant Foods stores.

"The First Market [Bank] branches will remain in the stores and operate as usual, just as the other departments," Bobby Ukrop said.

Thank you to the Ukrop family for their community involvement and for being almost like members of our own families throughout the years. Those familiar Ukrop's grocery bags, the friendliness of store personnel, cleanliness of stores, and all the favorite foods from the Ukrop kitchens will be missed.

NBC 12 is asking viewers to share their memories of Ukrop's Supermarkets.

Ukrop's rumors continue

I read the Richmond Times-Dispatch article expecting to see that CEO Bobby Ukrop had assured employees of Ukrop's markets that the grocery chain was not going to be sold. I was not totally encouraged by what I read:

As speculation swirled about the fate of the Richmond-based chain of 28 grocery stores, Robert S. Ukrop sent a letter to employees yesterday dismissing the talk as rumor.

"There has been a lot of speculation in the last few days about the future of Ukrop's," the chairman, president and CEO of the company said. "All of this is based on rumors, anonymous blog postings and industry chatter."

Ukrop, however, did not dispute published reports that the chain had issued a prospectus. "Anything I say at this point will add fuel to the fire," he wrote.

The door appears to be cracked a bit for possible change.

Losing Ukrop's for Richmonders would be similar to losing Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers. Many of us who grew up in Richmond are attached to the store, the family, and the high quality of their food products and service.

When I moved to North Carolina years ago, I immediately began looking for something similar to Ukrop's ... and found Harris-Teeter. Throughout the years I've always heard there was a friendship between the two grocery chains and rumor has it there was an agreement never to build competing stores in each other's areas.

If ... and that is a huge if ... Ukrop's were to sell, I'd rather see it go to Harris-Teeter than other chains that have been mentioned.

However, I hope the family will be able to hold onto their rightful place as Richmond's premiere supermarkets. The green shirts embroidered with "Ukrop's" ... the chicken salad ... the clean salad bar ... their fabulous paninis ... fried chicken and chocolate fudge pies and coffee cakes ... and their excellent produce as well as high quality meats ... and clean cafe areas to meet with friends and grab a bite to eat ... Ukrop's is a place I trust and shop at everytime I'm in Richmond and, as I wrote in June, it's still #1 with us.

Here's hoping these nasty economic times we're living through won't take them down. Our prayers are with the family as they navigate these tough times.

Viva Ukrop's!

Ukrop's still #1 to us

For Richmond area family-owned Ukrop's Super Market to be #1 in the grocery store lineup the past 20 years is itself remarkable, so the news that they slipped to #2 was not alarming.

Ukrop's is a local food store leader ... Ukrop's stores are all in the Richmond area with the exception of one in Williamsburg, one in Fredericksburg, and one in Roanoke. Ukrop's is closed on Sundays and does not sell beer or wine even though they are overshadowed by national chains such as Food Lion, Kroger, and WalMart.

Today's Richmond Times-Dispatch reveals Ukrop's has slipped to the #2 spot while Food Lion has moved to #1. Food Lion has 52 stores in the Richmond area. Ukrop's has 20 stores.

As a Chesterfield County native, I grew up with Ukrop's and continue to shop there whenever in the Richmond area, buying groceries to bring back to the Valley.

My sister who still lives in Chesterfield and I have been discussing this issue since Ukrop's closed an under-performing store in Williamsburg last year and with news that the Roanoke store is not doing as well as hoped. In an attempt to watch the bottom line, Ukrop's has discontinued some less popular food items in its bakeries.

What makes Ukrop's different from the chain stores is its hometown touch: closed on Sundays, no alcohol sales, giving back to the community, cleanliness in the stores, fresh local product in-season, support of local vendors.

The economy these days is not good and people have to watch their spending so perhaps the time has come for Ukrop's to consider opening on Sundays to catch those sales when people are off for the weekend. It doesn't have to be all the stores ... maybe have Sunday openings of strategically selected ones. Another route would be selling beer and wine to keep those sales in-store instead of losing them to nearby grocers. Of course, those are tenets of the family from the days of founder Joe Ukrop so they may want to honor him by preserving those traditions.

Whatever Ukrop's decides to do, they have every reason to hold their heads high. To stave off national competition for 20 years has been quite an accomplishment ... and who knows? Next report may show they are back on top. Meanwhile, everyone has to hunker down to ride out this financial storm.

My bet's on Ukrop's remaining a leading force in the Richmond grocery field.

Ukrop's at Lightfoot to close at end of January

Another sign of a slowed-down economy is the news that Ukrop's will be closing their two-year-old store at Lightfoot on January 31, 2009. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported:

In a letter sent to shoppers today, Robert S. Ukrop, president and chief executive of the chain, wrote, "We opened the . . . store in anticipation of the significant growth expected along the [Interstate] 64 corridor." A slowdown in the housing market "suggests that development will be sluggish, at least for the foreseeable future."

The other Ukrop's store in Williamsburg at 4660 Monticello Avenue in the Target Shopping Center will remain open (and appears to be doing well).

Word on the street is the Roanoke Ukrop's store, after a robust start, has lower-than-expected sales. It is a beautiful store and is the western-most supermarket in their chain so it would be good to see it remain open.

Ukrop's not HAMpered by last-minute Christmas request....

My brother-in-law is a general contractor with a large commercial builder currently working on a job in Charlottesville which causes him to commute daily from Chesterfield. This morning his Christmas cheer was almost sidelined but Ukrop's Supermarkets came to the rescue....

This post is not a slam on Kroger but, rather, a tribute to Ukrop's because they go over and beyond the call of duty. They also prove that shopping the local "mom-and-pop" stores often provides better service than the chain stores whose employees may not be invested in the company.

My brother-in-law ordered 30 hams ($900) from Kroger last week with instructions that they were to be picked up at 7:00 this morning. These were Christmas gifts for his employees on this last day of work before the long Christmas weekend.

When he arrived at Kroger's this morning there were no hams ready and no manager available (the manager was supposed to be there at 7:00). Crunched and needing to hit the road to Charlottesville, he sat in his company truck in the parking lot and called Ukrop's ... yes, they had 30 hams. He arrived 20-30 minutes later to pick them up.

Ukrop's not only had the hams boxed and the ticket written up ... but he was given an unasked-for discount at the register.

Service. That is what is often missing in today's society ... but service has always been a priority at Ukrop's, a store my family has shopped at since the 1960s.

My sister emailed to tell the story, adding that she told him to drive safely to Charlottesville or he would be on the news ... can you see the headline?

"Breaking News! Hams spilled all over I-64 are creating a 2-mile backup."

Thanks, Sis, for my laugh-out-loud of the day!

Ukrop's ... a family-owned business that is still owned and run by the family ... and it shows in their service and commitment to the community.