Founded in 1872, Smith, Roundy & Co. was the first wholesale grocery warehouse of its kind in Milwaukee. As one of the largest grocery houses in the state, the company had grown enough by 1885 to construct a new building in the Third Ward. After a fire destroyed that building in 1892, the company had purchased and taken possession of a new building by midnight the next day. Within one week of the fire, they were back in business.

In 1922, the company's steady growth and progress led to the introduction of Roundy's first private label product: salt. To promote the brand, Roundy's Food Studio was established. Here, speeches and demonstrations on food preparation were given. The success of the Roundy's brand would prove to have a profound impact on the development of the company.

In 1953, the company announced the sale of its assets to Roundy's, Inc., a new corporation owned by hundreds of successful retail grocers in Wisconsin. The new organization offered store owners new incentive to buy their goods from Roundy's: a share of the profits. This business formula led to unprecedented growth in the following years.

In 1975, the first Pick 'n Save Warehouse Foods opened. The warehouse food store was an idea that had been tried and failed in other parts of the country. However, it proved to be a stepping stone for Roundy's continued progress. Customers came by the thousands, requiring local police to be on constant duty just to direct traffic. Just one month later, a second Pick 'n Save store opened.

Roundy's growth and success continued into the '80s and '90s. Between 1986 and 1995, the company's sales grew from $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion. By the end of the 1990s, Roundy's private label was comprised of over 2,000 different products. The company also owned 18 stores and served more than 900 others throughout its ten divisions.

The new millennium marked the beginning of rapid retail expansion for Roundy's. In 2001, the company acquired the Copps banner in Wisconsin and in 2003 purchased the Rainbow stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Roundy's was purchased by private investment firm Willis Stein & Partners in 2002 and Bob Mariano joined the company as Chairman and CEO. The company opened the Metro Market in downtown Milwaukee in 2004, introducing the area's first new-concept supermarket focused on fresh foods and specialty products. In 2005, the company's name changed to Roundy's Supermarkets, Inc. to better reflect its position as a retailer. By 2006, Roundy's had been named the world's “Fastest Growing Retailer” by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

To explore Roundy's complete history, click here.