Always Changing for the Better

From the Beginning a Family Store
As a teenager Robert Onstead delivered groceries for his uncle in Ennis, Texas. In 1954 when he was 24 and recently married, his father-in-law offered him a job at Randalls Super Valu Store in Pasadena. He also offered him important words of advice: "Treat your customers the way you treat your family".

Onstead was a natural in the business. His marketing flair was demonstrated when he opened his second store shortly afterwards and for the occasion covered the building in a brand new material called Saran Wrap. The "Today" show came and televised it live.

Partners in Prosperity
Twelve years later Onstead joined with two other men whose experience in the grocery business went back two generations. Norman Frewin and R.C. Barclay were instinctive entrepreneurs and together the three men developed the concept of a discount supermarket. Among their innovations were special prices advertised in their large front windows, hot delis, on-the-premises bakeries, electronic check cashing, scanners and mart carts for seniors. Their fresh thinking paid off handsomely. By 1990 the chain had expanded to 42 stores. In 1991 Randalls earned over a billion dollars in revenue, making it easily the fastest growing company in Houston.

Texas-sized Success
In the 1990's Randalls experienced unprecedented growth. We expanded into Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin. We doubled our size with the acquisition of Tom Thumb stores and the gourmet Simon David stores. In 1999 we became part of Safeway Inc., a Fortune 50 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America. Safeway operates more than 1,740 stores in the U.S. and Western Canada and employs almost 200,000 people. Our new relationship with Safeway provides us incredible buying power and access to a wider range of products and services. The Randalls and Tom Thumb brands include more than 127 combination food and drug stores. Most include fresh seafood, floral, cosmetic, bakery and film processing departments. The premium Flagship Randalls and Tom Thumb stores have increased their take-out departments to provide fresh made pizzas, pastas and barbeque. Many locations even offer bank branches, ATMs, one-hour photo processing, drive-thru pharmacy windows, fueling stations and full-service counters where you can purchase lottery or movie tickets, pay utility bills and car licenses renewals.

Good Neighbor Policy
Randalls has always taken its community responsibility seriously. During Hurricane Alicia in 1983, we kept our doors open despite serious flooding. Over the years we have donated to a myriad of local causes. Since 1996 alone over nearly $24 million has been given to some 8,000 local non-profit organizations.

Thirty Years Later, the Customer Still Comes First
The phenomenal growth of our company has not hampered our commitment to providing the best for our customers - the best service, the best prices and the best quality. Thanks to continuous expansions, it can offer its customers a shopping experience that Randalls' founders could not have imagined when they opened the doors back in 1966.

Our Remarkable Commitment to...
Our Customers          Maximize the value we deliver to our customers.

Our Culture               Value and respect our culture and our associates.

Our Community         Emphasize genuine commitment to our community.