Chicago's Alfredo Linares Of Food Market La Chiquita Joins AWG

Chicago, Illinois – Alfredo Linares' first major life change happened in 1964 when he and his family ventured from a small town in Mexico to Chicago, IL. He was 9 years old at the time and it was a true culture shock. He was struck by the many different nationalities that live there, the cold and the snow. He had never seen snow before in his life.

In 1986, Alfredo took a chance and went into the grocery business. He got a loan and bought a 6,000 square foot grocery store from a friend. His friend gave him a few weeks of training and then Alfredo was on his own. He's since grown the business to eight successful Food Market La Chiquita grocery stores across the Chicago area.

When entering one of his stores the first thing you'll notice is the festive decor. From the custom hand painted murals on the walls to the colorful signage that brightens the overall mood. All eight stores feature dine-in Taquerias (restaurants) that are known for their outstanding traditional home made dishes. Additionally, four of the stores have in-store bakeries that offer made from scratch deserts, breads and other goodies.

Over the years the Food Market La Chiquita stores have garnered a reputation for quality perishables and excellent service.  They’ve made a name for themselves by giving their customers exactly what they want. The stores are located in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the Chicago area and each one is geared to those particular communities and customers.

Stellar customer service is one of the foundations that have helped make Alfredo successful. He truly considers his employees as family and friends. Some of whom have been with him from the very beginning and many more have been there for a decade or more. “We’re in this together, they take care of me and I take care of them” said Linares. “It’s the only way we’ll remain successful.” His wife, daughter and brother-in-law all have essential roles in Food Market La Chiquita operations. He also has four brothers in the grocery business, who between them own twenty grocery stores in the area.

Over the course of his life, Alfredo has embraced change. Recently, a big change was switching to Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) as his grocery distributor. "When you change suppliers it's a big, big deal.” Linares said. “We felt very welcomed by AWG and we trust them. They get us great deals, they have so many products and their support services really opened our eyes.”

AWG's CEO David Smith said "Alfredo is a remarkable man and I’m very proud to have met him and his great family. We’re honored he joined us, it’s quite a compliment coming from a leading operator like him.”

Over the years Alfredo has weathered the usual ups and downs of the grocery business with his positive outlook on life. "I've been in this great country now for many, many years and it's been a rewarding and wonderful experience.’ said Linares. From his humble beginnings in Mexico to his success in Chicago, Alfredo considers himself a very blessed man and looks forward to continuing prosperity.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED WHOLESALE GROCERS, INC.

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is a retailer-owned cooperative serving retail member stores with a complete assortment of grocery, frozen foods, dairy and refrigerated products, fresh meat, and fresh produce, together with a full array of specialty foods, health and beauty care products, international foods, dollar products, and general merchandise items supplied by its wholly owned subsidiary Valu Merchandisers Company (VMC). AWG and VMC operates an extensive distribution network of eleven highly efficient distribution centers, serving over 3,800 retail outlets, representing well over $20 billion in retail supermarket sales, and generating annualized sales of approximately $9.18 billion on a consolidated basis. For more information, visit www.awginc.com or follow @AWGCorporate on Twitter.

Source: Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.