Piggly Wiggly Midwest is continuing to look for ways to create value for its customers along with accelerating its ability to deliver best-in-class services, according to Beau Oshiro, VP and general manager.
“We remain committed to satisfying our customers’ needs to the fullest and are dedicated to taking the necessary actions to achieve our overall strategic priorities that drive long-term growth,” he said. “That’s our vision for our independents and franchisees that we support.”
Wisconsin-based Piggly Wiggly Midwest was purchased by C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC in August 2021. The following June, Oshiro started his new role.
Headquartered in Sheboygan, Piggly Wiggly Midwest currently serves 116 store locations, including 95 Piggly Wiggly, 11 Butera Markets and 10 independents. It also operates two distribution centers in Sheboygan.
Piggly Wiggly Midwest is a full-service operator, Oshiro said, offering its customers “basically everything to operate a grocery store.” The corporate stores are owned and operated by Piggly Wiggly Midwest, while the franchisees are independently owned and operated.
Oshiro said one of the focuses for the company in 2023 is to grow its independent business. While a franchisee basically agrees to all of the services that Piggly Wiggly Midwest provides, an independent can pick which ones it would like to use.
“They could be a la carte, and that’s how we would service them based on the needs that they ask of us,” he said.
Independents doing business with Piggly Wiggly Midwest do not have to change their banners to the Piggly Wiggly name. Piggly Wiggly Midwest will provide their service needs, such as distribution or marketing – “whatever they ask us to partner with them on.”
Since C&S acquired Piggly Wiggly Midwest, Oshiro said it has worked to give back to the community and get the company’s name back out in the public. It offers corporate and franchise support for its stores.
A recent Piggly Wiggly Midwest golf outing resulted in a donation of $100,000 shared between three local organizations – Hunger Task Force, Feeding America Southeastern Wisconsin and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin. During Thanksgiving, Piggly Wiggly Midwest partnered with the Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation and Hunger Task Force for their annual drive-thru food drive at American Family Field.
“We had 46,000 pounds of food donated by the community and more than 500 turkeys. We also donated 145 turkeys to the Sheboygan Food Bank,” Oshiro said.
The corporate office hosted a holiday food drive, resulting in a donation of 6,028 pounds of food to the Sheboygan Food Bank. It also sponsored a fundraising campaign where the winner could pick between a Piggly Wiggly-branded 2022 Jeep Wrangler or $50,000 in cash.
Franchisees also are strong supporters of their local communities, Oshiro said. He noted that Malicki’s Piggly Wiggly has partnered with Hunger Task Force on a mobile market.
“Basically, it’s a trailer retrofitted into a mobile grocery store,” he explained. “The franchisee stocks fresh produce, meat and dairy into the trailer, and this mobile market travels to food desert neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee. Through grants and federal funding, customers pay half price on everything coming out of that mobile market.”
Another franchisee, Fox Brothers Piggly Wiggly, has a roundup program to support local charities. In 2022, it donated more than $350,000. A Piggly Wiggly store in Juneau supported local search and rescue diving teams in the community with a donation to buy new equipment.
“From our franchisee point of view – and a corporate point of view – we’re definitely supporting the vision of supporting our communities that we serve.”
Oshiro said he wants to get the Piggly Wiggly Midwest name “back out there to say, hey, we are in your communities, and we support your communities on top of selling you groceries.”
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