History of Grocery store in Timeline

A grocery store, also known as a grocery shop or grocer's shop, is a retail establishment primarily focused on selling a wide variety of food products, both fresh and packaged. In the United States, the term 'grocery store' is often used interchangeably with 'supermarket'. In the United Kingdom, different types of food retailers are distinguished as grocers or grocery shops.

1916: Piggly Wiggly Opened

In 1916, the first self-service grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis, Tennessee by Clarence Saunders.

1929: Piggly Wiggly's Success

According to a 1929 issue of Time, Piggly Wiggly's success was "partly because of its novelty, partly because neat packages and large advertising appropriations have made retail grocery selling almost an automatic procedure."

1930: First Milk Bar Started

In 1930, the first business using the name "milk bar" was started in India.

2004: Average US Family Grocery Spending

In 2004, the average US family spent $280 per month or $3,305 per year at grocery stores.

March 24, 2008: Rising Food Prices Worldwide

On March 24, 2008, it was reported that consumers worldwide faced rising food prices due to factors such as weather changes, higher oil prices, lower food reserves, and growing consumer demand in China and India.

2008: New Grocery Chains Started

In 2008, two other chains started: Unimarc, which bought several small local chains and has over 20% of the grocery segment in Chile; and Southern Cross, a Chilean Investment Fund that has around 8.6% of the supermarket segment, mainly oriented to the southern areas of the country.

2011: Global Food Waste

As of 2011, 1.3 billion tons of food, about one third of the global food production, are lost or wasted annually.

2012: Online Grocer Sales in Britain

In 2012, sales from online grocers in Britain alone were €7.1 billion.

2013: Online Grocer Sales in the US

In the US, sales from online grocers in 2013 were $15 billion.

2014: European Union Year Against Food Waste

The European Union claimed 2014 to be "Year Against Food Waste", leading to changes in retailer contracts and the marketing of "inglorious fruits and vegetables" to reduce waste.

2016: Largest Hispanic Supermarket Chains

In 2016, the largest Hispanic supermarket chains were Superior Grocers, with estimated sales of $1.6 billion, and El Súper-Bodega Latina, a division of Mexico's Chedraui Group, with estimated sales of $1.2 billion.

2016: Projected Online Grocer Sales in Europe

In certain European markets, online grocer sales are projected to double from 2012 to 2016.

2019: Percentage of Food Bought Online

As of 2019, about 3% of food in the US was bought from an online retailer such as Amazon.com.

2021: Global Food Waste Analysis

A 2021 analysis by the United Nations Environment Programme found that food waste was a challenge in all countries and economic levels, excluding food lost during production. This study estimated global food waste at 931 million tonnes (around 121 kg per person) across three sectors: households (61%), food service (26%), and retail (13%).

2022: UN Biodiversity Conference Agreement

Climate change mitigation efforts emphasize reducing food waste, as demonstrated by the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference's agreement among nations to achieve a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.

2023: US Ethnic Grocery Store Sales

In 2023, IBISWorld estimated that US ethnic grocery stores would make up approximately $51 billion in sales, representing 6% of the total US supermarket sales of around $819 billion.

2030: Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 aims to cut global per capita food waste by 50% at retail, consumer levels, and throughout production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses, by 2030.