EMERYVILLE, CA - Grocery Outlet has stated that it is on a mission to spread its nearly 70-year-old brand across several western states, as well as Pennsylvania, and in the latest move to do so has launched a new independent owner recruitment website.

Called ownagroceryoutlet.com, this next step is a portal in enlisting independent owners to operate its stores and share in profits, according to a press release.

"We are the largest extreme-value grocery retailer in the nation, with up to 60 percent off conventional, name-brand retail products," MacGregor Read, Co-CEO and grandson of Founder Jim Read, said in the release. "Our buyers travel thousands of miles to find the best bargains from manufacturers and producers. Our independent owner-operators sell products that are outside the retail channel, including packaging changes, product overruns, and surplus inventories. These operators sell, and not buy, our products so that they can focus on retail while we search far and wide for the best deals."

The new website features:

• Q&As with several owner-operators.
• Video interviews with the Grocery Outlet leadership team.
• Startup cost information.
• Details about the industry and what separates the Grocery Outlet store from its competitors.

The company added that candidates often come from other grocery or retail chains, as well as having some management experience, and often make substantially more in income than they would in a store manager position.

Grocery Outlet holds a unique partnership with its owner-operators. Benefits listed for Owner-operators include:

• Not paying for consigned merchandise until products are sold.
• The land is bought and the store constructed by Grocery Outlet.
• Only being responsible for opening costs -- such as hiring and training staff, as well as equipment.

Grocery Outlet acquired Amelia's Grocery Outlet in Pennsylvania, effectively giving the chain a foothold on the East Coast. Now, backed by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, the chain has more than 210 stores throughout five western states and Pennsylvania combined.

According to the release, Grocery Outlet captured a $1.4 billion share of the $131 billion in annual sales grossed by the independent grocery market, though it competes with larger corporate grocers due to the independent structure of its owner-operators.

For in-depth details about the Grocery Outlet independent ownership opportunity, go to ownagroceryoutlet.com.

Grocery Outlet