Associated Food Stores

Since 1940, Associated Food Stores have been advocating for independent grocers throughout the Intermountain West. In that time, membership has grown from 34 independent grocers to over 400 today; operating a 1-million-square-foot warehouse in Farr West, Utah; and the integration of new technologies in the grocery industry.

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.

We have since grown from 34 retailers in Utah to nearly 450 independent grocers across Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon.