Festival Foods Purchased by Schnucks Markets

Wednesday, September 17th, 2025 -- 11:00 AM

(Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette) A St. Louis-based grocery chain will expand into Wisconsin with its purchase of Festival Foods and a chain of nine more small-market grocery stores.

According to Jeff Bollier with the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the family that runs Schnucks Markets announced in a Sept. 16 news release that 1939 Group Inc., its newly-formed holding company, will buy all outstanding shares of Skogen's Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers Inc., and take over operation of 51 Wisconsin grocery stores.

The purchase includes shares held by Festival's employee stock ownership plan. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Festival Foods operates 42 stores across Wisconsin.

Hometown Grocers Inc. owns nine small-market grocery stores that include Super Ron's Food Center in Pulaski, Sentry Foods in Wittenberg, Thompson's County Market in Oconto and Lakewood SuperValu in Lakewood.

The sale is expected to close in October and once complete, the holding company will own and operate 164 grocery stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

The trio of companies will employ a combined 19,000 people. Schnucks Markets CEO Todd Schnuck will become chair and CEO of 1939 Group Inc. once the deal is complete.

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