Description: Associated Food Stores was founded on the idea of local grocers banding together to support and help improve individual businesses.
Serving Independent Grocers Since 1940
In 1940 the grocery industry was a rough place for independent retailers. Strong competition from national chains, increased prices from wholesalers and low margins left many families and independently-owned businesses with boarded windows. Determined to succeed against the competition, 34 independent retailers and Donald P. Lloyd, the then president of the Utah Grocers Association, joined together to combine their buying power and open a warehouse, leading to the birth of AFS.
Since 1940 we have grown from 34 retailers in Utah to nearly 450 independent grocers across Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon.