Tom Thumb

Back in 1948 two Dallas friends with family roots in the grocery business became intrigued with a new shopping concept. The men were J.R. Bost and Bob Cullum. The new concept was called "supermarkets". Together they bought a small local chain and for the first few years worked nights and weekends to upgrade the selection, quality and overall shopping experience. They made sure that, despite their small size, they could compete against the national chains. This eager customer service became represented by a friendly little cartoon figure in a grocer’s apron, the still instantly recognizable Tom Thumb logo.

As Dallas boomed and its suburban limits expanded, so did Tom Thumb. The marketplace was fiercely competitive. But by leveraging its local advantage, it prospered and by 1956 had grown to 20 stores. Tom Thumb was well on its way to becoming a major regional chain. Bob Cullum was a tireless innovator, especially in offering non-food items such as housewares and health and beauty products. Construction of new, larger stores and purchases of small chains, continued non-stop.

From 1950-66 Tom Thumb doubled its sales volume. They bought the gourmet specialty Simon David stores, 34 Hinky Dinky stores in the Midwest, even 17 Pantry Food Markets in California. Easily the most impactful move was the addition of Page Drugs. It signaled a new direction for Tom Thumb, combining food and drug in one store. It worked spectacularly. By 1974 sales had reached half a billion dollars. The zenith of this growth was in the 1980’s with a farsighted venture with Wal-Mart; the opening of A 220,000 square foot hyperstore. Despite its enormous sales volume, the project proved ahead of its time and was discontinued. Tom Thumb’s management took this opportunity to catch their breath. A refocused corporate strategy in the 90’s lead to a consolidation. In 1992 Jack Evans merged the Tom Thumb operations with those of a longtime colleague, Robert Onstead of Randall’s. Tom Thumb’s historic tradition of innovative customer service continued after the merger. In 1997 the first steps were begun to introduce online grocery service.

No matter how large Tom Thumb stores grew, management never lost sight of their customers and their community. In 1974 they were one of the first supermarkets to start a consumer affairs department, now known as Public Affairs. Over the years they have generously supported causes like childhood cancer, area food banks, people with special needs and educational foundations. As part of the Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program they have contributed 14.7 million dollars to local non-profits since 1996. Despite a world of changes in the grocery business, every Tom Thumb store was, and always will be, proudly local.

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Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb information

Visit Tom Thumb (click below)

Which states have a Tom Thumb

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