Saker ShopRites, Inc., owned and operated by the Saker family, and Perlmart, Inc., owned and operated by Michael Perlmutter, announced on December 13 that they have completed the sale to Saker ShopRites of the assets of Perlmart, Inc.
The Sakers, who have been in the grocery business for more than a century and operate 32 ShopRite stores across New Jersey, including Monmouth and Ocean counties, have acquired seven ShopRite stores in Ocean County from the Perlmutter family.
“Perlmart has been dedicated to customer and community service since they first opened their doors, and we are proud to continue those traditions as we welcome their stores and associates into our family of supermarkets,” Richard Saker, president and CEO of Saker ShopRites, Inc., said in announcing the acquisition. “Both the Saker and Perlmutter families share a love of the supermarket business, and we think this is a great way to pass the baton from one local, family-owned business to another.”
Both family companies were early members of the retailer-owned cooperative, Wakefern Food Corp., which this year marks its 75th anniversary. Richard Saker’s father, Joseph, joined the new cooperative in 1947, the year before Julius Perlmutter, Michael Perlmutter’s father, joined Wakefern and opened a store in downtown Toms River, NJ.
“We are proud to have been part of the Ocean County community for more than seven decades and we are so grateful for the loyalty we’ve experienced from our customers and the dedication and friendship from our associates through the years,” said Michael Perlmutter. “As a family operated business,we have viewed our associates as extended family members and our relationship with some go back 35, 40 and more years.
Perlmart, Inc. supermarkets and pharmacies are located in Manahawkin, Lacey, Fischer Bay (Toms River), Manchester, Jackson, Bayville and Waretown.
For many years, the Perlmutter family has been involved in the local community and has supported hundreds of organizations, including the Ocean County College Foundation, local hospital foundations, first-aid squads, volunteer fire departments, food banks, and others. In support of the community, the Perlmart stores were opened during the height of Hurricane Sandy and prepared and donated 50,000 meals for first-responders.
The Saker family has been in the grocery business since 1916, when Richard Saker’s great-grandfather first opened a small mom and pop grocery in Freehold in Monmouth County. Joe Saker eventually took over the family business and today, Richard, along with his brothers and son, represent the fourth and fifth generations of the family-owned Saker ShopRites.
The company owns and operates 32 ShopRite supermarkets, which include 30 in-store pharmacies, two liquor stores and Dearborn Market and Garden Center in New Jersey. The company employs more than 8,000 associates. Through their charitable efforts, Saker ShopRites supports more than 1,300 non-profit organizations in New Jersey, continuing a long family tradition of giving back to the communities where their stores operate.