Save Mart changes owners again. New company is larger and based even further from Modesto
Save Mart Companies has gone through its second ownership change in two years, and this time, it’s grown further from its family-owned roots.
The Jim Pattison Group — based in Canada — purchased Save Mart effective Tuesday, said President Ryan Barrington-Foote. The sale includes the Lucky and FoodMaxx stores.
The company will remain headquartered in Modesto and nothing will change, Barrington-Foote said. Save Mart will continue to run its business with its existing management team and employees.
“This acquisition supports our group’s desire to continue our growth in the retail food business,” he said.
In 2021, Chris McGarry became the first CEO who was not a member of Save Mart’s founding family, the Piccininis.
Shane Sampson became executive chairman of Save Mart Companies in 2022 and the company was sold to Los Angeles-based private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management LP the same year. Sampson remains in his position after the most recent sale, as do other members of leadership.
Timeline of Modesto-born Save Mart Supermarkets through the years leading to Kingswood sale
About the Jim Pattison Group
The Jim Pattison Group is a “diversified holding company” headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, and operates primarily in the United States and Canada, according to its website.
The group makes $16 billion in sales annually and employs 50,000 people.
It began with one auto dealership in 1961. Now, Pattison operates divisions in the automotive, advertising, media, agricultural equipment, food and beverage, entertainment, exporting, financial, real estate and periodical distribution industries.
Aside from the newly acquired Save Mart Companies, the Pattison Group’s operating divisions are:
Canadian Fishing Company (Canfisco) — harvests, processes and markets premium, sustainable West Coast wild seafood under five brands
Canfor Corporation — leading global producer of sustainable forest products
Genpack — manufacturer of food packaging in the North American marketplace
Great Wolf Lodge — Pattison owns the franchise rights in Canada to the indoor waterpark
Guinness World Records — Pattison acquired the world-renowned brand in 2008
Jim Pattison Lease — Canada’s largest privately owned fleet management and corporate leasing company, with three brands
Montebello Packaging — supplier of collapsible aluminum and laminate tubes, aerosol cans and more
Ocean Brands — operates three brands that source responsibly caught seafood and three brands that produce pasta sauces, snacks and condiments
Pattison Agriculture — operates John Deere dealerships in Canada
Pattison Food Group — Canada’s largest western-based provider of food and health products, with 20 brands
Pattison Go — involved with data, media and corporate trading
Pattison ID — specializes in exterior signage manufacturing and implementation, design translation, site development and facility branding
Pattison Media — present on airwaves and digital and social networks across Western Canada
Pattison Outdoor Advertising — out-of-home advertising network specializing in billboards, transit advertising and digital products
Peterbilt Pacific — one of Canada’s largest Peterbilt dealers, with multiple dealerships, dozens of service bays and two collision repair shops
Ripley Entertainment — Pattison acquired the Orlando-headquartered Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand in 1985
The Jim Pattison Auto Group — offers customers a wide selection of new and used vehicles from 16 leading brands
TNG Canada — wholesales and distributes books and magazines
Vancouver Hino — part of the Toyota family of companies and manufacturers medium and heavy-duty trucks
Westshore Terminals — coal export terminal.
