This is what made Hy-Vee the go to store in the Midwest United States. Whenever you present your receipts from their supermarket and you refuel at their stations, you get to receive discounts between three to twenty cents a gallon depending on the register receipt.
Synonymous with quality products, Hy-Vee attained its status now through the help of its employees who demonstrated hard work and clear vision. Through the years, they have carried their slogan “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle”.
The company started in 1930 with Charles Hyde and David Vrendenburg as its founders. More stores were opened since then and in 1945 it acquired Chariton Wholesale Company which pushed the company to move its headquarters to Chariton, Iowa. The company got its name from an employee contest in 1952. It is the contraction of the names of its founders Hyde and Vrendenburg.
Hy-Vee currently employs 56,000 employees. Their chain of about 230 groceries and drugstores are employee-owned and is generating revenue of up to US$7.18 billion.
Through acquisitions, the business branched out from its retail operations. Some of their non-retail subsidiaries include Florist Distributing Inc., D & D Foods Inc., Lomar Distributing Inc., Midwest Heritage Bank and a few other lines of business. The company is also known for being gay-friendly as they expanded spousal benefits to include gay couples even in states that do not protect gay individuals like Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota.
Their largest chain is in Urbandale, Iowa which recently opened last August 2012 with 95,283 square feet of retail space.