Food Fair
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedFood Fair was a major American supermarket chain that later operated largely under the Pantry Pride name before its retail assets were dismantled and its corporate successor became associated with Revlon.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Food Fair was an American supermarket chain founded by brothers Samuel N. Friedland and George I. Friedland. Its origins lay in a value-oriented grocery store opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the late 1920s under the name Reading Giant Quality Price Cutter. The business expanded through a discounting and high-volume retail model, and the Food Fair name emerged during the late 1940s. By the 1950s and 1960s, the chain had become one of the larger supermarket operators in the United States, with 275 stores reported in 1957 and more than 500 stores at its later peak. The company's growth was driven both organically and through acquisitions. In 1958 it purchased Setzer's Supermarkets, a Jacksonville-area chain. In the early 1960s it acquired J. M. Fields, a discount department-store operator whose locations were often paired with Food Fair or related grocery stores. Food Fair also bought Best Markets in Philadelphia. Best's private-label name, Pantry Pride, became the basis for a new no-frills discount supermarket format. The first Pantry Pride store opened in Hazlet, New Jersey, in 1964. During the following decade, Pantry Pride stores became more prominent than the original Food Fair banner, and many Food Fair locations were converted. Food Fair's expansion extended beyond conventional supermarkets. The company operated or acquired department stores, drugstores, gasoline stations, shoe stores, and home-improvement retail interests. It entered California and Nevada through the acquisition of Fox Markets, but later withdrew from those markets after the western operation proved difficult to manage from its predominantly eastern base. The company continued acquiring regional grocery assets, including Hills Supermarkets in New York and the remaining stores of the bankrupt Penn Fruit chain in the Philadelphia area. Rapid expansion and the burden of a diversified retail structure contributed to severe financial problems. Food Fair entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1978, at which point the Friedland family lost control. A restructuring led by Grant Gentry closed or sold numerous stores, eliminated the J. M. Fields division, reduced warehouse capacity, and moved the headquarters to Fort Lauderdale. The reorganized business adopted Pantry Pride Stores, Inc. as its corporate name and increasingly focused on a smaller supermarket estate in Florida and nearby markets. The company subsequently sold distribution facilities, outsourced wholesale supply, and disposed of large portions of its store base. By the mid-1980s, only a small number of supermarkets remained. Pantry Pride also acquired Adams Drug Company and Devon Stores, transactions that expanded its assets outside food retail but increased the company's exposure to corporate-control activity. In 1985 investor Ronald Perelman acquired control of Pantry Pride through a leveraged transaction and used the company as a holding vehicle in the acquisition of Revlon. The corporate name was changed to The Revlon Group in 1986, marking the end of Food Fair and Pantry Pride as significant independent supermarket businesses. Some remaining stores were sold to interests associated with John Catsimatidis and later supplied through Fleming Companies. The last reported Pantry Pride opening was a Sunny Isles, Florida, store in 1991, while other locations were renamed Woolley's. Remaining operations were sold, closed, or absorbed by 2000. Although the historic chain disappeared, some successor or independently owned stores have continued to use Food Fair-related names. These later businesses should not automatically be treated as the original Food Fair chain.
History
Food Fair began with a grocery store opened by Samuel N. Friedland and George I. Friedland in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the late 1920s. The original Reading Giant Quality Price Cutter format emphasized low prices and attracted enough volume to support additional stores. The Food Fair name was introduced in the late 1940s as the chain developed into a regional supermarket operator. The chain expanded rapidly after the Second World War. It reached 275 stores by 1957 and continued to grow through acquisitions. Setzer's Supermarkets, a 38-store Jacksonville-area chain, was acquired in 1958. Food Fair later purchased J. M. Fields, a discount department-store chain active in New England and Florida. J. M. Fields locations frequently operated alongside Food Fair or Pantry Pride grocery stores, creating a broader shopping-center retail system. A particularly important acquisition was Best Markets of Philadelphia. Best's Pantry Pride private label inspired a new store banner and operating concept. The first Pantry Pride store opened in Hazlet, New Jersey, in August 1964 as a test of a no-frills discount supermarket. The banner gained traction and eventually became more visible than Food Fair itself. By the early 1970s, many stores had been converted to Pantry Pride. During its expansion period, the company added businesses outside grocery retail, including drugstores, gasoline stations, shoe stores, and discount department stores. It also bought Fox Markets to enter California and Nevada. That western operation was later divested, reflecting the difficulty of extending an eastern regional chain across distant markets. In 1976, the company acquired Hills Supermarkets and the remaining 17 stores of the bankrupt Penn Fruit Company. The acquisition program and broad operating structure were followed by financial distress. Food Fair entered Chapter 11 in 1978. A new management team led by Grant Gentry closed the J. M. Fields stores, reduced the supermarket estate, exited the Philadelphia home market, and sold or closed warehouses and stores. More than 200 stores were closed between 1979 and 1981. The reorganized company emerged as Pantry Pride Stores, Inc., based in Fort Lauderdale, with a much smaller footprint concentrated mainly in Florida and surrounding markets. Pantry Pride sold distribution centers and outsourced wholesale operations to Supervalu. It also disposed of large numbers of stores, including assets in Baltimore, Richmond, Philadelphia, and other markets. In 1984 it acquired Adams Drug Company and Devon Stores, increasing its exposure to drugstore and home-improvement retail. These transactions also made the company a more consequential target in corporate-control markets. In 1985 Ronald Perelman acquired a controlling position in Pantry Pride using high-yield financing. Pantry Pride then served as the acquisition vehicle for Revlon. The ensuing takeover litigation produced the Delaware Supreme Court's decision in Revlon, Inc. v. MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., a major authority in United States takeover law concerning directors' duties during a sale of control. By 1986 the corporate entity had changed its name to The Revlon Group and had exited the grocery business in substance. The last supermarket assets were progressively sold or renamed. Stores associated with John Catsimatidis were later linked with Fleming Companies, and many remaining Pantry Pride locations became Woolley's. A final reported Pantry Pride opening occurred in Sunny Isles, Florida, in 1991. Remaining stores were closed or sold by 2000. Later businesses using Food Fair-related names are not necessarily continuations of the original chain.
- 2000
Remaining stores disappear as a chain
[1]The remaining stores are closed or sold, ending the historic chain's retail presence.
- 1991
Last reported Pantry Pride opening
[1]A Pantry Pride Food Emporium reportedly opens in Sunny Isles, Florida, while other stores are being renamed or sold.
- 1986
Corporate name changes to The Revlon Group
[1]The former supermarket holding company changes its name after its retail grocery assets have largely been disposed of.
- 1985
Perelman gains control of Pantry Pride
[1]Ronald Perelman acquires control and uses Pantry Pride in the takeover of Revlon.
- 1984
Adams Drug and Devon Stores acquired
[1]Pantry Pride expands into drugstores and home improvement through acquisitions of Adams Drug Company and Devon Stores.
- 1981
Pantry Pride Stores, Inc. emerges
[1]The reorganized business leaves bankruptcy protection, adopts the Pantry Pride Stores, Inc. name, and relocates to Fort Lauderdale.
- 1978
Bankruptcy reorganization begins
[1]Food Fair enters Chapter 11 and the Friedland family loses control.
- 1976
Hills and Penn Fruit assets acquired
[1]The company acquires Hills Supermarkets and the remaining stores of the bankrupt Penn Fruit chain.
- 1972
Fox Markets operation divested
[1]Food Fair withdraws from its California and Nevada expansion after acquiring Fox Markets.
- 1964
First Pantry Pride store opens
[1]The first Pantry Pride discount supermarket opens in Hazlet, New Jersey, testing the banner's no-frills format.
Products and positioning
Value-oriented, high-volume supermarket retail, later expressed through the Pantry Pride no-frills discount format.
Supermarket retail
Food Fair supermarkets
The core Food Fair format sold everyday groceries, fresh foods, packaged goods, and household necessities through a value-oriented supermarket network. The chain grew from its Pennsylvania origins into a multistate operator and reached more than 500 stores at its peak, although many locations were later converted to the Pantry Pride banner.
Discount supermarket · 1964
Pantry Pride
Pantry Pride was a no-frills discount supermarket banner developed from the private-label identity acquired with Best Markets. Its low-price positioning proved more durable than the Food Fair name in many markets, leading the company to convert numerous stores during the 1960s and 1970s.
Discount department store
J. M. Fields
J. M. Fields was a discount department-store chain acquired by Food Fair. Its stores were often located in shopping centers with Food Fair or Pantry Pride supermarkets, creating a combined grocery and general-merchandise proposition. The division was closed during the 1978 restructuring.
Private-label grocery products
Food Fair private-label groceries
The company's retail system included private-label grocery merchandise, most notably Pantry Pride, the label that later became a store banner. These products supported Food Fair's discount-oriented identity and helped distinguish its value proposition from conventional supermarket competitors.
Brand decisions
1985
Pantry Pride used as Revlon acquisition vehicleM&ABackground
Ronald Perelman acquired a controlling interest in Pantry Pride after the company had become a much smaller and more asset-oriented retailer.
Action taken
Pantry Pride was used as the corporate vehicle for acquiring Revlon.
Aftermath
The transaction and related litigation produced an important Delaware takeover-law precedent, and Pantry Pride ultimately changed its name to The Revlon Group.
1981
Adoption of the Pantry Pride corporate identityStrategyBackground
The post-bankruptcy company had reduced its geographic reach and was concentrating on a smaller supermarket operation.
Action taken
It reorganized as Pantry Pride Stores, Inc. and moved its headquarters from the Philadelphia area to Fort Lauderdale.
Aftermath
Food Fair ceased to be the principal corporate identity as Pantry Pride became the surviving retail banner.
1978
Bankruptcy restructuring and store rationalizationStrategyBackground
Financial problems followed a period of rapid expansion, diversification, and acquisition activity.
Action taken
New management closed the J. M. Fields division, exited the Philadelphia home market, reduced the store base, and began selling or closing warehouses and other assets.
Aftermath
The business emerged as a substantially smaller Pantry Pride organization headquartered in Florida.
1964
Launch of the Pantry Pride discount formatProduct launchBackground
Food Fair sought to test a more aggressively low-cost and simplified supermarket concept using the Pantry Pride name obtained through Best Markets.
Action taken
It opened the first Pantry Pride store in Hazlet, New Jersey, and subsequently expanded the banner across much of the chain.
Aftermath
Pantry Pride became more prominent than Food Fair and was used to rebrand many stores.
Sources2 sources
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