Santa Rosa, California-based Oliver’s Market has released findings from an updated economic impact study that shows the grocer continues to have a stronger economic impact in Sonoma County than non-local grocers and retailers of comparable size.
Based on 2024 data, the “Supporting Local Businesses and Workers: Economic Impacts of Oliver’s Market” report is the fourth in a series conducted by Robert Eyler, business consultant and economics professor at Sonoma State University.
Previous reports were published in 2011, 2016 and 2020. Key findings include:
- Higher local economic impact – By sourcing from local vendors, hiring Sonoma County residents and being locally owned, Oliver’s Market generates larger economic benefits compared with competitors that rely more heavily on outside suppliers.
- Greater circulation of dollars locally – Oliver’s creates over 41 percent more local business revenue impacts than a non-local retailer. For every $100 spent at Oliver’s, $185 in economic activity is generated within the Sonoma County economy.
- Stronger support for local producers – In 2024, 32.3 percent of Oliver’s cost of goods sold came from local producers, more than double the 15.2 percent statewide average reported by grocers. By contrast, if no items in a shopper’s basket are locally sourced at a national chain, just $53 of that $100 purchase continues to circulate locally – compared with Oliver’s $185.
“At Oliver’s, we are passionate about the economic power of shopping locally for locally made products and the resulting benefits we all enjoy when more of our money stays in our county, funding local services and jobs,” said Scott Gross, general manager.
“The data shown in Dr. Eyler’s study identifies tangible evidence that the benefits of shopping local are real. It is also gratifying to see how the ‘ripples’ made by these choices have grown in impact since the original study.”
The full report is available at www.oliversmarket.com/partner.
About Oliver’s Market
Founded in 1988, Oliver’s Market is a 100-percent employee-owned, independent grocer with four locations – Santa Rosa (two), Cotati and Windsor, California.
Offering natural, conventional and specialty products, Oliver’s has community partnerships with hundreds of local farmers and producers. It carries more than 6,000 locally produced products, representing 32.3 percent of annual sales.
Oliver’s was a founding member of Sonoma County GO LOCAL in 2009, earned Green Business Certification in 2011, and became both an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company and Social Purpose Corporation in 2017.
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