Rouses

Rouses Supermarkets

Industry	Retail
Founded	1923 as City Produce Company
Headquarters	Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA
Number of locations	37
Key people	J.P. Rouse - Founder Anthony Rouse Ciro DiMarco
Products	Grocery Bakery Seafood
Number of employees	4,500
Website	www.rouses.com

Rouses Supermarkets are a chain of grocery markets in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with more than 5,000 employees. The company had its start as the City Produce Company, founded in Thibodaux, Louisiana by J. P. Rouse in 1923, which bought produce from local farmers in the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, as well as the French Market in New Orleans, and shipped them around the United States. ^[1][2]

Interior of Rouses Market in New Orleans Central Business District, 2011.

In 1960, Anthony Rouse (son of J. P. Rouse) and his cousin, Ciro DiMarco, opened a 7,000-square-foot (650 m²) grocery store in Houma, Louisiana. In the 1970s, the company operated stores in Houma, Raceland and the Rouses’ hometown of Thibodaux. During the 1980s, the company opened new stores in South Louisiana, in the communities of Lockport, Cut Off and Morgan City.

Rouses opened its first store in Metairie in 1995 and was then the largest independent grocer in Louisiana.

In 2003, Rouses opened a 54,000-square-foot (5,000 m²) store in Covington. That store was followed by other St. Tammany Parish locations in Mandeville in 2005 and Slidell in 2006.

In 2007, two years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the New Orleans area, Rouses acquired A&P’s Southern Division of 17 Sav-A-Center stores, effectively doubling the company in size, and giving the company its first stores in the city of New Orleans and in Mississippi. In 2008, Rouses acquired two additional stores in Mississippi.^[3]

In January 2009, Rouses opened a newly constructed store in Youngsville, Louisiana, a community in the Lafayette area. This location was the first in the Acadiana region for the chain, its western-most store, and the biggest grand opening event in company history.

Anthony Rouse died on March 5, 2009 at the age of 79.^[4][5]

In 2010, the company acquired a store in Mathews, Louisiana which was previously operated by Winn-Dixie.^[6]

In 2011, Rouses opened a 40,000-square-foot full service grocery store in the Central Business District of New Orleans ending 45 years without.^[7]

In 2013, Rouses expanded into Alabama by taking ownership of six Belle Foods stores in the Mobile area.^[8] The first of those stores opened in Theodore, Alabama on February 9, 2014.^[9]

In 2016, Rouses acquired Leblanc's Food Stores, expanding it's presence in the metro Baton Rouge area with 9 additional locations. All Leblanc's Food Stores were rebranded as Rouses Markets.^[10]

Recognition

• 2010 New Orleans Magazine's Best Grocery Store/Deli ^[11]
• 2009 Gambit Best Supermarket ^[12]
• 2009 Sophisticated Woman’s Best Supermarket ^[13]
• 2009 Daily Comet’s Best Grocery Store in Lafourche Parish ^[14]
• 2009 Houma Courier’s Best Grocery Store in Terrebonne Parish ^[15]
• 2009 Sophisticated Woman’s Best Supermarket ^[13]
• 2009 Jefferson Life’s Best Supermarket^[16]
• 2009 Louisiana Life’s Best Places to Work ^[17]
• 2009 AOL’s Best Grocery Stores ^[18]
• 2008 Gambit Best Supermarket ^[19]
• 2008 Sophisticated Woman’s Best Supermarket ^[20]
• 2007 Association for Corporate Growth Louisiana Deal of the Year
• 2007 Sophisticated Woman’s Best Supermarket ^[21]
• 2007 Gambit Best Neighborhood Grocery on the North Shore ^[19]
• 2006 Sophisticated Woman’s Best Supermarket ^[22]
• 2006 Progressive Grocer Store of the Month ^[23]
• 2006 Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
• 2005 Gambit Best Neighborhood Grocery on the North Shore
• 2005 St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce Business Appreciation Award – Largest Expansion
• 2004 National Grocers Association Advertising Award Best Commercials
• 2004 National Grocers Association Advertising Award Best Grand Opening Campaign
• 2004 Addy Award Best Grocery Store Commercials
• 2003 Addy Award Best Grocery Store Commercials
• 1999 Food People of the Year (Donald)
• 1995 National Grocers Association Award - Fast Bagger
• 1984 Progressive Grocer Store of the Month

References

External links

Official website