Busch's Fresh Food Market celebrates 35 years in an ever-changing market
When Doug Busch was a boy and began sorting bottles at his father’s grocery store in Clinton, there were only three varieties of cat food, and bottled water was limited to distilled and used only for ironing.
“If someone would have told me you could sell water in a bottle, I wouldn’t have believed them,” said Busch, co-owner of the 15-store Busch’s Fresh Food Market chain and community development director.
![busch store.JPG](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2010/06/busch%20store-thumb-590x392-42302.jpg)
Busch's Fresh Food Market, which operates 15 stores in the southeast Michigan area, is known for their specialty line and carry more variety than the national chains.
Janet Miller | For AnnArbor.com
On Tuesday, Busch’s started celebrating its 35th anniversary, bucking the trend of big box swallowing independent supermarkets and surviving growing competition that comes when even retailers such as Target and the corner drugstore offer a growing display of groceries.
“We’re still here, surviving and doing well,” Busch said.
Busch’s has seen dramatic changes in 35 years, he said. Variety has become king: The number of items a store stocks has quadrupled, from about 10,000 to about 40,000, Busch said. Even as the big-box chains such as Walmart trim product line in reaction to the weak economy, Busch’s has resisted, Busch said.
Busch’s is known for their specialty line and carry more variety than the national chains, he said. While big box may have more square feet, they stock fewer lines.
“People judge you by the number of facings (the number of a certain product that faces out on the shelf). (A big box) will have 10 to 15 facings for each product and we’ll have two or three. But we have a lot more items, a depth of brands,” Busch said.
Other changes over the decades have been just as significant: Prepared foods and produce have muscled out center store with its dry and canned goods - and although the recession saw a small reversal last year, prepared foods is rebounding, Busch said.
“We’ve turned into a convenience society,” Busch said. “When Lunchables (Oscar Mayer/Kraft Foods, Inc. children's meal combinations) first came out, I wondered who is going to buy cut-up food.”
Natural, organic and now local foods have gained shelf space. While customers were jumping on the organic bandwagon a few years ago, buying local now carries more weight, Busch said.
Grocery competition
Ann Arbor area shoppers have many places to spend their grocery dollar. They include:
- Busch's Fresh Food Market is a family-owned and operated independent supermarket chain with 15 locations in southeast Michigan, including two in Ann Arbor and one in Saline. Other nearby locations include Dexter, South Lyon, Pinckney and Plymouth.
- Hiller's Market: Like Busch's, it is family-owned, independent and based in Michigan. The chain has seven stores, including one in Ann Arbor. Other nearby locations include Northville and Plymouth.
- Meijer is another privately held, Michigan-based supermarket, but has more of a regional reach with close to 200 stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and beyond. It has three stores in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.
- Kroger is one of the country's largest supermarket chains. The publicly traded (NYSE:KR) company is based in Cincinnati and has close to 2,500 supermarkets. It has three stores in Ann Arbor, three in Ypsilanti and a total of 13 stores within a 20-mile radius of Ann Arbor.
- Whole Foods Market is a national, publicly traded (NASDAQ: WFMI) natural and organic foods supermarket with more than 280 stores, more than 270 of those in the United States. There are two locations in Ann Arbor.
Busch’s began in 1975 when Joe Busch and business partner Charlie Mattis opened J&C Family Foods in Clinton and Saline. Mattis left the partnership, the name was changed to Busch’s and the privately held store grew to become the largest independent supermarket chain in southeast Michigan. Joe retired in 1986 and the company is run by three of his sons, including Doug, co-owner Tim and John, who is president, CEO and co-owner.
Today, company headquarters are split between Ann Arbor and Saline. The 35,000-square-foot Ann Arbor store (store number four) on South Main Street opened in the early 1980s, when there was little else in the area, Busch said.
“It was a field of dreams. We believed that if we built it, they would come. There was a niche we could fill.”
That niche included offering fresh, local produce (even before local became an industry buzz word), purchased five days a week from the Detroit Produce Terminal, adjacent to the Eastern Market. That included having a butcher on staff to custom cut meat and selling choice rather than the lower graded select.
Busch’s has been active with community involvement, Busch said. Its stores are involved in some 400 events a year, from supplying a school’s ice cream social to participating in small town parades.
Busch’s was on a growth trajectory until the Michigan economy came to a stand still. The newest store, located in West Bloomfield, opened in late 2008 and Busch’s has no immediate plans to opened store 16. Once the economy improves, that will change, Busch said.
“Our growth has always been organic, looking for our niche. It’s always been where we see an opportunity, often in an up and coming community," he said.
Square footage varies with the store, from 29,000 to 45,000 square feet.
Still, the company has no plans to expand beyond Michigan, or even beyond driving distance of its Ann Arbor-Saline headquarters, Busch said.
Said Busch: "There’s lots of opportunity in southeast Michigan.”
Comments
BigSexy76
Wed, Jun 9, 2010 : 5:57 p.m.
I think its hilarious that people are on ehre complaining about this and that about Buschs. I think some of you forget how good Buschs has been to various causes and organizations over the years. I am also sure that some of you have atteneded the functions that buschs has been involved with also. You cannot go into Meijers or any other retailer and get the same treatment you do at Buschs. Guest service and freshnesss is what they are known for!. Congrats to Buschs for 35 years of outstanding work!
eileen spring
Tue, Jun 8, 2010 : 8:54 a.m.
Busch's is a great partner to Food Gatherers...they have been donating their surplus food since we started in the late eighties. They also host large food drives that benefit Washtenaw County and the surrounding area. Congrats to them for thier community spirit!
JimB
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 10:38 p.m.
@Scooter Dog, Have you tried Aldi's? That's a new store in Ann Arbor geared for the value-oriented shopper. That may fit your needs.
scooter dog
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 7:49 p.m.
Extra few dollars is worth it! 30 to 50 EXTRA dollars per $100.00 spent is hardly a few extra dollars,unless you have unlimited funds to blow on food. I find their prices and lack of quality food obscene,and I've never seen a date of when the product was made in a grocery store,omly dates are the experation date Meijers and wallmart have them beat in quality, price, and service hands down
a2phiggy
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.
Regardless of any individual's opinion, Busch's should be congratulated on its longevity in this market. This article isn't an invitation to those of you who want to complain about service, price or product - it simply highlights the success of one of our own. Congratulations!
ERIC MEYERS
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 1:24 p.m.
I will no longer shop at overpriced Busch's. It is in way worth it.I do not know how they stay in Business with such High Priced Products.Maybe they should try Lowering Prices for a Change. Sure would be nice. But Like everyone Else I am shopping at Meijers now.Sincerely Eric M.
JimB
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
I absolutely love Busch's. I appriciate the fact that they carry a many delicious ready to eat items from their deli. They use U.S.D.A. Choice grade meats as their house brand instead of Select grade which is an industry standard. Someone commented on expired products; I've never seen that. Those dates are sometimes confused with the date that they are produced instead of expire. They go the extra mile with service too. They are not and have not represented themselves as a discount retailer like Meijer and they provide superior quality and service. They extra few dollars is worth it for the pleasant shopping experience.
riggs
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.
I used to be a loyal Busch's shopper but over the past few years it has grown increasingly difficult to justify their inflated prices. For everyday items such as soap, paper towels, milk, bread, etc. it is just much cheaper to shop at Meijers. Even still, I would always shop Busch's for their produce and meats but I have seen an overall delcine in freshness and quality. My biggest compalint with Busch's (besides the high prices) is the fact that they routinely keep their shleves stocked with expired goods. Without excetpion and whether it is the Dexter store or Main street one you can find boxes of food that are 6 months past expriation. Next time you are there, pull a box of Cheez-Its off the shelf and you'll see it expired in 2009. Also, watch the dates on their dairy products (yogurts)...they are often sold well past the sell by date.
scooter dog
Sun, Jun 6, 2010 : 8:29 a.m.
I don't see how they made it 35 yrs with the prices they charge.I am retired and what little I buy their easily 30 to 50% more than Meijers,Wallmart ect and the Items that are on sale at Busch's are the everyday prices anywhere else.