From a small, sturggling cooperative with eight members - all owners of their own grocery stores - Wakefern Food Corp., the merchandising and distributing arm for ShopRite, has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States and the largest employer in New Jersey. The cooperative is comprised of 45 memebrs who indivudally own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite banner. Today, Wakefern and Shoprite togetehr employ more than 50,000 people throughout New Jersey, New York, Conneticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. 

All ShopRite owners are members of Wakefern Food Corp., which buys, warehouses and transports products while providing other support services. "Volume" buying enables ShopRite stores to offer their consumers the lowest overall prices, and the greatest value, in the marketplace.