Perlmart Inc., owned and operated by Michael Perlmutter, has completed the sale of its seven ShopRite stores in Ocean County, New Jersey, to Saker ShopRites Inc., owned and operated by the Saker family.
The Sakers, who have been in the grocery business for more than a century, operate 32 ShopRite stores across New Jersey, including in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
“Perlmart has been dedicated to customer and community service since they first opened their doors, and we are proud to continue those traditions as we welcome their stores and associates into our family of supermarkets,” said Richard Saker, president and CEO of Saker ShopRites Inc. “Both the Saker and Perlmutter families share a love of the supermarket business, and we think this is a great way to pass the baton from one local, family-owned business to another.”
Both family companies were also early members of the retailer-owned cooperative, Wakefern Food Corp., which this year marks its 75th anniversary. Richard Saker’s father Joseph joined the new cooperative in 1947, the year before Julius Perlmutter, Michael Perlmutter’s father, joined Wakefern and opened a store in downtown Toms River.
“We are proud to have been part of the Ocean County community for more than seven decades, and we are so grateful for the loyalty we’ve experienced from our customers and the dedication and friendship from our associates through the years,” said Michael Perlmutter. “As a family-operated business, we have viewed our associates as extended family members and our relationship with some go back 35, 40 and more years.”
Perlmart Inc. has grown to a chain of seven ShopRite stores including pharmacies in Manahawkin, Lacey, Fischer Bay (Toms River), Manchester, Jackson, Bayville and Waretown.
The Perlmutter Family has always been proud to be involved in the local community and has supported hundreds of organizations, including the Ocean County College Foundation, local hospital foundations, first-aid squads, volunteer fire departments, food banks and others. In support of the community, the Perlmart stores were opened during the height of Hurricane Sandy and prepared and donated 50,000 meals for first responders.
The Saker family has been in the grocery business since 1916, when Richard Saker’s great-grandfather first opened a small mom-and-pop grocery in Freehold in Monmouth County. Richard’s father Joseph eventually took over the family business and today, Richard, along with his brothers and son, represent the fourth and fifth generations of the family-owned Saker ShopRites.
Saker ShopRites own and operate 32 ShopRite supermarkets, which include 30 in-store pharmacies, two liquor stores and Dearborn Market and Garden Center in New Jersey. The company employs more than 8,000 associates.
Through its charitable efforts, Saker ShopRites supports more than 1,300 non-profit organizations in New Jersey.
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, New Jersey, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States.
With nearly 280 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Since the program began in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated nearly $50 million to food banks that support more than 2,200 worthy charities.
As a title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $34 million to local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, visit www.shoprite.com.
