Wakefern Announces Newest Member to its Cooperative Family
Keasbey, NJ (June 24, 2022) – Wakefern Food Corp. announced today that Pennsylvania-based Gerrity’s Supermarkets, owned by the Fasula Family, has become the 48th member to join its cooperative.
The Fasula family operates supermarkets in Pennsylvania under the Gerrity’s Supermarkets banner. Upon their conversion, the stores will be rebranded as Gerrity’s The Fresh Grocer, a Wakefern trademark. Currently there are 11 Fresh Grocer stores located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey each independently owned by Wakefern cooperative members.
Gerrity’s is a family-owned supermarket business that began in 1895 as a small meat market. Today, the company operates ten supermarkets in Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna and Luzerne counties and is led by co-owners Joyce “Mom” Fasula and her son, Joe Fasula.
“Our family is excited to join the Wakefern cooperative which is committed to helping family-owned businesses like ours gain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing and challenging industry. Wakefern will help us save our customers money and provide an enhanced assortment of products to our customers, including high-quality, on-trend private label foods, and increased buying power of a cooperative,” said Joe Fasula.
“The Fasulas are a strong addition to our cooperative and another family-owned business that provides an exceptional experience and quality fresh foods for its customers and a great place to work for its associates,” said Joseph Colalillo, Wakefern’s Chairman and CEO. “Membership in our cooperative allows independent operators like the Fasulas to maintain their entrepreneurial spirit while benefiting from the scale and services Wakefern offers. We look forward to welcoming the Fasula family to Wakefern.”
Customers can expect to see the exclusive line of private brand products — Bowl & Basket and Paperbird – in store as Gerrity’s begins its transition to The Fresh Grocer banner over the next few months.
About Wakefern Food Corp.
From a small, local cooperative that began with eight grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Founded in 1946, the cooperative includes 47 member families who today independently own and operate hundreds of supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.wakefern.com.
About Gerrity’s Supermarket
Gerrity’s is the largest family-owned supermarket business in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The company operates in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Northampton counties and consists of 10 supermarkets, three Ace Hardware stores and a home office. The company is owned by Joyce “Mom” Fasula and her son, Joe. Gerrity’s currently employs over 1,300 people. Gerrity’s began in 1895 as a small meat market and became a supermarket in 1980.
