After starting as a single store in Ashville, NC, Ingles Markets has grown into a highly successful 203-unit regional supermarket chain with annual sales over $3.7 billion. The company – although listed on the NASDAQ – is family owned with 86% of voting power and nearly half of all shares owned by the Ingle Family. Robert Ingle opened the first store 50 years ago after working for his grandfather in Ashville, North Carolina where the company is still headquartered today. After his death in March 2011, his son Robert P. Ingle III became CEO.

The company self-distributes products to all of its stores’, with the exception of the Direct Store Delivery product, from its on-site distribution center at its Ashville, NC headquarters. The distribution center, adjacent to Interstate 40, helps keep Ingles highly efficient because of its location and close proximity within 250 miles of Ingles 200+ retail stores. The stores, with an average retail selling square feet of 54,000, offer wide varieties of fresh foods and industry leading meat departments.

Ingles operates stores across six states, and has key market share positions in a number of large core based statistical areas (CBSA).

Top Five Ingles Markets*
Ranked of # of Area Locations

*Source: 2012 Chain Store Guide Grocery Industry Market Share Report