Becoming One Associated

The story of Associated Food Stores is unusual in today’s world. We are not a huge conglomerate. We cannot be extravagant or excessive. As family-owned businesses, AFS competes against global grocery chains who have vast resources and scale. However, we have a compelling niche because quality food, people-to-people connections and local matter to our guests and communities. Our guests respond to authenticity, personal attention and a feeling of community that is unobtainable elsewhere.

These characteristics have proven to be our best and most powerful assets and key components of our tremendous success the past few years. When these characteristics are partnered with phenomenal teamwork, hard work, relentless passion, and devoted heart we can overcome even the most formidable opposition.

To reach our highest potential as retailers and as a system, we must continue to fully realize “One Associated.” “One Associated” means our retail members, our wholesale operations and services, and our corporate stores working together as one, world-class team. It means having the patience, fortitude, collaboration, and teamwork across all areas of our system to solve all the big and small challenges we face every day.

As you go about your daily assignments, we invite you to continue watching for ways to lift each other, to extend a helpful hand and to serve our retailers in extraordinary ways. Every retailer and every team member plays an integral role in creating an environment that honors our remarkable past and establishes our increasingly bright future.

Let’s continue following our strategic plan and do all the little things that allow us to be the extraordinary team we aspire to be. We can overcome any obstacle we face together. On rainy, cloudy, or sunny days, let’s always be One Associated.