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Does any one remember the Standard chain in Indiana. It was the name National used in Indiana they also used the name Lowell's any information?

I believe the Standard chains was once independent of National, but became the banner after acquired. The Standard banner lasted until the mid-80's. By the time the stores closed, Indianapolis was the last holdout. During the Depression to the early post-WWII era, Standard, A&P, and Kroger were in virtually every Indiana town of 5000 or more.

Yes, I remeber Standard Stores as a division of the the National Tea Company in Indianapolis. When I worked with National Tea in Indy in the mid-seventies everybody still refered to the stores as "Standard Stores".

Standard & Lowell's were chains that National acquired and had strong enough local identities that they kept the names. They did this with a few other chains like Miller's (the pioneer super market in Denver) and Del Farm (an inner city Chicago chain whose name they also used to rebanner stores when they dropped trading stamps). Their acquisitions were largely concentrated in the years between WWII and the mid-50s. Capital for much of this came from Loblaw of Canada, who gradually acuired controlling interest in the chain.

rich wrote:Del Farm (an inner city Chicago chain whose name they also used to rebanner stores when they dropped trading stamps).

I was curious on my last visit about the Delray Farms stores I saw scattered around Chicago, mostly in what seemed to be old chain cast-off locations. They were a pretty junky lot, and many seemed abandoned. I imagine they were just trading on the old Del Farms name, but does anyone know of any relationship, maybe involving someone who bought some old National properties when National pulled out in 1976?

Delray Farms is targeting the hispanic market in Illinois and expanding into Georgia, where they have made use of a former Winn-Dixie Marketplace in Dalton. Gainesville and Dalton are the target markets for their expansion, and presumably the Atlanta area. I have found no evidence of their being related to the former Del Farms or National or Loblaws. The Georgiastore is heavy on the Preferido brand.

krogerclerk wrote:Delray Farms is targeting the hispanic market in Illinois

There are a couple of other chains that also do that. One is Cermak Produce and another is Belmont Produce. Cermak has a lot of old castaway locations like one on Kedzie and Berteau that is a former Jewel.

<<Edited by moderator to correct quote.>>