Together with the owner of a successful Idaho supermarket chain and two other professionals, we developed a session dealing with issues involved in the transfer of ownership of family-owned supermarket businesses. My role was to discuss valuation issues. Business owners should run their businesses all the time so that they are ready for sale. Not up for sale, but ready for sale. Most business sales occur unexpectedly.
Sales occur because of a change in the business, the industry, or the personal lives of the owners.
The remainder of this issue provides perspectives by two of leading food marketing industry specialists on the topic of a consolidating industry and some concluding comments by me. Several other industry experts also spoke in convention-issue publications on issues related to consolidation. This is partially true in the local Memphis market, where Seesel's was acquired by Albertson's. Seesel's remains Seesel's in name, at least. Even though there's lots of consolidation going on, there is still room for good, solid family-run companies.