The Nash Finch Company was an American food distribution and retail company based in Edina, Minnesota (a suburb of Minneapolis). Nash Finch was involved in food distribution to private companies, primarily independent supermarkets, and military commissaries and the operation of retail stores. At the time of its 2013 merger with Spartan Stores, Nash Finch was the second largest publicly traded wholesale food distributor in the United States, in terms of revenue, with $5.21 billion in annual sales; Nash Finch was also a Fortune 500 company.
On July 22, 2013, Spartan Stores announced its acquisition of Nash Finch in a $1.3 billion stock-swap.[1] On November 19, 2013, the two companies completed their merger and formed a new company, SpartanNash.
History
The origins of the Nash Finch Company can be traced back to 1885 when Fred Nash opened a small candy and tobacco shop in the Dakota Territory town of Devils Lake. Soon, Nash opened another store with his two brothers in Grand Forks, North Dakota.[2] In the late 1880s, Edgar and Willis, the brothers, joined Fred in opening a fruit distribution business.[3]