Latest news with #DougRauch
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boston Just Lost Every Location Of This Beloved Grocery Chain
The impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic are still lingering in the U.S. for many individuals and small businesses alike. This combined with rising food costs means grocery stores — especially small, local stores — are struggling to stay afloat, with many across the country closing their doors. Unfortunately, this is the case for the beloved Boston grocery chain, Daily Table. The company recently announced in a letter to the community on May 9, 2025, that it is shutting down along with every single one of its locations. The chain officially closed all of its stores on Monday, May 12, according to its website. Daily Table was founded in 2012 by the former president of Trader Joe's, Doug Rauch, who aimed to create a store where people could buy healthy and nutritious food that was accessible regardless of income. The company largely succeeded in this mission, sharing on its website that the stores served over 10,000 customers each week in 2024. The reach and impact of this nonprofit grocery store is what makes it closing particularly sad, and it's a change that will certainly affect the communities Daily Table has been serving for years. The chain had four stores in total across Massachusetts located in Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury, and Salem. Read more: 13 Trader Joe's Prepared Foods, Ranked Daily Table was remarkable in its mission to supply local communities with nutritious and affordable food. Through donor funding and distributor and supplier partnerships, Daily Table was able to provide all kinds of fresh and healthy foods at ultra-low prices, all while being SNAP-eligible. And, despite growing its customer base in the 2024 fiscal year according to the Daily Table impact report, it still wasn't enough to combat the debilitating effects of the pandemic and historically high modern food costs. With 26% percent of Daily Table shoppers using SNAP/EBT benefits, it can be assumed that low-income households that relied on Daily Table have been hit hard by the local chain shutting down. When announcing the closing in a letter to the community penned by the board of directors, Daily Table urged donors and supporters to transfer that support to other organizations that provide food access and security. The board also expressed continued commitment to the mission that Daily Table represented, saying that they "... firmly believe that this model can be replicated elsewhere." With the prices of groceries rising and the middle and lower classes being hit hardest, we hope more nonprofit grocery stores like Daily Table can make space and get the support they need to thrive. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular Grocery Store Known for Affordable Food Closes All Locations
Popular Massachusetts-area grocery store Daily Table has announced that it will be closing all of its locations. "With heavy hearts, we share that Daily Table will be closing our doors within the next few days. This was not an easy decision. For the past 10 years, we have had the honor of serving neighborhoods across Greater Boston, working alongside our community to make affordable, nutritious food accessible to all," read a statement posted on the Daily Table's official website. "We are proud to have served over 3 million customers, returning over $16 million in savings to the community while removing the barriers to healthy food," the statement continued. The company cited challenges it faced in light of the coronavirus pandemic as well as inflation as its reasons for shutting down its operations. All five of its original locations — Central Square, Dorchester, Roxbury, Salem, and Mattapan — were scheduled to close on May 12. "Our stores will be working to sell our inventory over the next several days, and we invite you to come shop one last time. All items will be deeply discounted until we cease operations," the Daily Table's website reads. The nonprofit organization believes in its model and feels confident it "can be replicated elsewhere." Daily Table was founded by Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe's, in 2012. Rauch was dedicated to the idea that "everyone should have access to affordable, high-quality, and nutritious food, regardless of means." Daily Table opened its fifth location in Salem, MA, in 2023.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Local Boston Grocery Store Chain That Just Closed All Of Its Locations
A grocery store chain in Boston known for servicing its community with healthy and affordable food has closed its doors for good. Daily Table has four locations and plans to sell its remaining inventory at a discount until it clears everything off of its shelves. What's notable about Daily Table is its mission, which was to deliver a combination of SNAP-eligible food items such as fresh produce and pantry goods, while keeping prices for other items low at the same time. The reason the grocery store has been forced to close is because it has lost federal funding which it claims it needed to continue operating combined with the fact that food costs continue to rise. While most of the operating costs were covered by store sales, the loss of federal funding and philanthropic support has become a major issue and the business was unable to sustain itself. Daily Table's announcement to the community said that during its time, it was able to serve over three million customers, saving the community over $16 million. Considering how expensive it is to eat healthy, unprocessed food, this is guaranteed to be a big hit to Boston and those who relied on its services. Read more: 7 Must-Buy Aldi Items For First-Time Customers Daily Table has been in operations for 10 years and was founded by Doug Rauch who worked for the wildly-successful Trader Joe's chain for 31 years, serving 13 of those years as president. His approach to Daily Table was to use high quality, nutritious products that would potentially go to waste. In an interview with Acumen Academy's ReFED, Rauch said he "realized that hunger in America is really not a shortage of calories, it is a shortage of nutrients." It wasn't about feeding those in need with expired or otherwise undesirable goods, either. Rauch achieved his goal by going up the supply chain and getting products straight from manufacturers and farmers. Some of these items were ones manufacturers wouldn't have been able to move to retailers before their expiration -- essentially getting that food directly to customers with time to spare. Negotiations with farms allowed Daily Table to sell perfectly good produce to the community as well without necessarily having to resort to food which would otherwise be thrown away. The organization hopes there'll be another way to fill the community gap, but for now, there aren't any other groups like it in Boston. As it stands, Daily Table's loss is one the community will definitely feel. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Popular grocery chain closes down all locations, no bankruptcy
The grocery retail sector continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and faces several other challenges, such as increased food and labor costs driven by inflation and rising interest rates on commercial financing. Some grocery retailers in deep trouble will file for bankruptcy or launch out-of-court restructurings to address their financial distress. In many cases, grocery chains will opt to close or sell underperforming store locations that don't make economic sense. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter The private owners of popular Southern grocery chain Winn-Dixie said they would close four underperforming Alabama locations in April and May. Related: Popular beer brands retailer closes locations A small Austin, Texas, grocery chain Thom's Market, which was founded in 2007, closed all three of its locations on April 20 without giving a specific reason for shutting down. A new grocery store tenant reportedly will take over all three locations, purchase Thom's remaining inventory, and continue to sell many of the same products as the previous tenant. Giant online retailer Amazon closed two of its Amazon Fresh brick-and-mortar store locations, one in Manassas, Va., on March 16, and another in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on April 27, Chain Store Age reported. "Certain store locations work better than others, and after an assessment of our offering we've decided to close our Amazon Fresh stores in Thousand Oaks, CA and Manassas, VA.," Amazon said in an email statement. And now, Boston-area non-profit grocery store chain Daily Table closed its four remaining locations on May 12, suffering the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, food price inflation, and an uncertain and difficult funding environment, the company said on its website. Related: Popular beer brand shuts down brewery, lays off employees The company needed immediate funding to continue operating, according to the website, but it was unable to secure the necessary capital. More closings: Popular retail chain to close unprofitable store locationsBankrupt retail chain unloads store leases, key assetPopular discount retailer files bankruptcy, closes all stores "With heavy hearts, we share that Daily Table will be closing our doors within the next few days" the company said in a May 9 letter on its website. "This was not an easy decision. For the past 10 years, we have had the honor of serving neighborhoods across Greater Boston, working alongside our community to make affordable, nutritious food accessible to all." The company has not indicated whether it plans to file for bankruptcy. Daily Table's stores, located in Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury and Salem, Mass., sold the chain's inventory at deep discounts until the company ceased operations. The grocery chain's Mattapan location closed on Jan. 6. The grocery chain was founded in 2012 by former Trader Joe's President Doug Rauch, who created the grocery brand to help address the challenges of hunger and obesity, according to Daily Table's website. The chain's mission was to provide affordable, high-quality, and nutritious food, regardless of a person's means. It sought to fill a gap between free food resources and traditional grocery stores, according to its website. The company partnered with a network of growers, manufacturers, and other suppliers to source high-quality food at low costs and make it available to everyone "at prices designed for even a SNAP budget." The grocery chain said that it served over 3 million people since it launched and has returned $16 million in savings to the community, while promoting its healthy food sales. Daily Table asserted that it created living wage jobs, hiring directly from its neighborhoods and promoting from within its organization, according to its website. The chain opened its first store in 2015 in Dorchester, its second location in Roxbury in 2018, a third store in Cambridge in 2021, and its fourth and fifth stores in Mattapan and Salem, respectively, in 2023. Related: Popular beer brand closes down and files Chapter 7 bankruptcy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time Out
This non-profit grocery store chain in Boston is closing abruptly
After a decade of serving low-income communities across Greater Boston with deeply discounted, nutritious groceries, Daily Table is closing up shop. The nonprofit grocer, founded in 2012 by former Trader Joe's president Doug Rauch, announced Friday that it will shutter all four locations within days, citing unsustainable financial pressure. 'Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue,' the organization said in a public letter. 'After careful consideration, we have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that we can no longer continue operations. Daily Table offered a unique model: surplus and donated food from suppliers, combined with philanthropic support, allowed the stores to sell items at prices often 30-percent lower than the market rate. Customers could purchase fresh produce, staples and prepared meals using SNAP, all while shopping in a dignified, full-service environment. Since opening its first store in Dorchester in 2015, the chain has served more than 3 million people and returned over $16 million in savings to the community. Why is the Daily Table closing? A combination of COVID-era challenges, a sharp rise in food prices and a loss of USDA funding last year through the Double Up Food Bucks program proved too much to weather. Daily Table CEO Sasha Purpura told the chain's commitment to retaining staff and absorbing costs—even as operating expenses skyrocketed—took a toll. 'We have been trying to get through this challenging time, but in the end, we do not have the money,' she said. Stores in Dorchester, Roxbury and Salem closed Sunday, with the Cambridge location expected to follow shortly. All stores are currently liquidating inventory at steep discounts. Daily Table's leadership emphasized that while the nonprofit's current iteration is ending, its underlying mission isn't. In their letter, they noted that they 'remain as committed to the mission of Daily Table as ever' and believe 'this model can be replicated elsewhere.' Whether others will step in to fill the gap remains to be seen—but after 10 years, three million customers, and millions in community savings, Daily Table's impact won't disappear overnight.
