L. S. Ayres Indianapolis on October 13, 1961. This subsidiary was one of the first discount store divisions launched by a traditional department store. The Indianapolis Ayr-Way store opened prior to the first Kmart, which opened in Garden City, Michigan, in March 1962, and the first Target store, which opened in May 1962. Ayres also opened Ayr-Way stores in other cities. Ayres encountered several challenges in establishing and operating the new discount store concept. First, Ayres needed to define a clear brand identity for the new subsidiary and its relationship to the L. S. Ayres store brand. Second, errors in selection of store
Red and White Brand continued beyond the 60’s and 70’s and in 2014 store brands represent 17% of all retail grocery sales in the United States. There are thousands of Red & White products serving as the primary store brand in independent grocery stores across the United States, but the store brand market as a whole has greatly matured. Smith Michael (S.M.) Flickinger started Red & White Corporation, the nation’s first wholesale and retail business with fully integrated distribution. In 1903, Smith Michael (S.M.) Flickinger left his job as a wholesale grocery clerk in Buffalo, NY to open Flickinger Grocery Store with his brother