Ridley's Family Markets to Purchase
Orem Albertsons Stores

Family owned company to bring new values to Orem

Orem, UT (December 18, 2009) - Ridley's Family Markets, a family owned supermarket chain headquartered in Twin Falls, Idaho, has agreed to purchase the two Albertsons stores in Orem Utah from Supervalu Inc., one of the largest companies in the U.S. grocery industry. Both companies expect to complete the transaction within the next several weeks.

The two stores are both approximately 55,000 square feet in size and include in store pharmacies. The stores currently employ approximately 110 people. Ridley's Family Markets expects to offer employment to substantially all the associates that are currently working in the stores. Currently Ridley's Family Markets employs approximately 750 people between their 14 stores in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada.

Ridley's Family Markets founders, Jerry and Connie Ridley, said they are looking forward to being an active and positive part of the Orem community. These stores will be the 15th and 16th stores in Ridley's chain and be their 3rd and 4th locations in Utah with their existing stores in Hyrum and Tremonton.

"We are excited about these stores and these associates joining our growing family company," said Jerry. "Having worked and lived in the Orem area before, this is somewhat of a homecoming for us and we are really looking forward to it. We also feel that our unique formula of discount grocery prices combined with high levels of personal service will benefit the stores and the customers in Orem." Ridley's Family Markets is a member of, and supplied by, Associated Food Stores in Salt Lake City, UT, a retailer owned cooperative. Other retailers in Utah that are also supplied by Associated Food Stores include Harmon's, Macy's, Winegar's, Dan's, Dick's, and Lin's.

Jerry and Connie Ridley opened their first store in a 10,000 square foot building located in Payson Utah after Jerry spent many years as a Store Manager for Safeway in Utah and Idaho. In 1986 they moved to Orem and became a partner in a Food-4-Less store that was built in Provo and opened in 1986. After selling their partnership in that store, which is now occupied by Buy Low Market in Provo, they moved to Idaho and opened their first Ridley's Family Market. Since then they have grown their small family company into 14 stores in 4 states.

Customers of the stores will probably not notice a lot of changes in the stores immediately other than the changed name and the lowered prices. "We will drop prices on a significant number of items in the store and change out the Albertsons private label brands for our own," said Jerry. "In today's economic environment, customers want high quality products they have grown used to but need to stretch their grocery shopping dollars as far as they can. That is what has helped us be successful, even more so during these tough economic times. The customers in Orem will soon see that they can find the same discount prices in our stores that they used to go out of their way to the large discount stores for."

The former Albertsons stores will receive product via Associated Food Stores' Retail Support Center in Farr West, Utah. The warehouse facility is more than one million square feet and currently supplies all of Ridley's stores.

"Having spent a lot of time in Orem and actually having lived right down the road from both of these stores in the past, we are very familiar with the locations and with the Orem market. We are excited about the existing Albertsons team members joining our team," said Jerry. "We feel that combining their experience and the excellent service they have always offered their customers with the changes we will bring will be a winning combination for the employees, for our company, and for the Orem community."