Stater Bros. Markets is a privately heldsupermarket chain, based in San Bernardino, California, consisting of 171 stores located throughout Southern California. It was founded in Yucaipa, California, on August 17, 1936, by twin brothers Cleo and Leo Stater when they purchased the market owned by Cleo's boss, W.A. Davis, with a $600 down payment. Cleo recalled to the Inland Empire Business Press in 1998 that the owner of the market across the street from Davis's gave him the other $300 to make the full down payment. Stater Bros. went public in 1964; Cleo, Leo, and their brother Lavoy sold their interests to the now-defunct Long Beach-based Petrolane Gas Service in 1968. The chain has been owned fully by Stater Bros. Holdings, a subsidiary of La Cadena Investments, owned by Stater's late chairman, president and CEO, Jack H. Brown, since 1986. In 1999, Stater bought 43 plus one future Albertsons and Lucky supermarkets during Albertsons' merger with American Stores, which expanded the chain into new areas, like Lancaster, Palmdale, and San Diego County. It entered the Fortune 500for the first time in 2006 at #493, the first notable Inland Empire-based company to do so. In 2006, the headquarters began construction of a facility at San Bernardino International Airport from its former location on the Colton–Grand Terrace border. In 2018, Stater sold its SuperRX pharmacy division to CVS.
Stores
Stores are mainly in communities east of the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles and Orange counties. A few are also located in northern inland areas of San Diego County and parts of northern Los Angeles County, such as Santa Clarita and Palmdale. There is also one store in Ventura County, located in Simi Valley, and another in Pasadena, which opened in 2018. Also, there are two stores in Kern County, located in Ridgecrest and Mojave. However, throughout its Inland Empire base, they are concentrated heavily in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Management
Jack H. Brown joined Stater Bros. in 1981 as the company's president. He served as chief executive and president for 35 years. In January 2016, Pete Van Helden was appointed president and chief executive, and Brown became Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Brown died on November 13, 2016. On December 12, former CFO Phillip J. Smith was elected chairman. Smith was also elected chairman, president and CEO of Stater Bros. Holdings.
Slogans
For many years, Stater Bros. Markets did not have an official corporate slogan. The unofficial phrase was "It's our meat that made us famous." In the early 1990s, "The Eco-Friendly Leader in the Heartland" was introduced as the official slogan, which was later changed to "The Low-Priced Leader in Your Hometown," then supplanted by an unofficial slogan "An American Tradition To Serve Your Family Well." As of 2006, the slogan had been replaced with a lengthy phrase with an emphasis on rhymed words. Found on almost every single plastic bag and VHS tape: "Lowering Prices Everyday to Help You Save on What You Pay!" Currently, the slogan is "Where you Always Get More...For Less".
Route 66 Rendezvous
Since 1990, Stater Bros. has hosted the annual Stater Bros. U.S. Route 66 Rendezvous classic car cruise; however, due to the bankruptcy of the City of San Bernardino in 2012, the event was cancelled until further notice. In 2014, San Bernardino hosted an alternative show, "Rendezvous Back to Route 66".
