Person:Wilfred Von der Ahe (1)

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Wilfred L. Von der Ahe, Supermarket Co-Founder
b.9 May 1910 Los Angeles County, California
d.20 Nov 1998 Studio City, Los Angeles County, California
Parents and Siblings
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m. 1907
  1. Theodore A. Von der Ahe, Supermarket Co-Founder1908 - 1978
  2. Wilfred L. Von der Ahe, Supermarket Co-Founder1910 - 1998
  3. Karl Edward Von der Ahe1912 - 1997
  4. Walter R. Von der Ahe1914 - 1971
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Facts and Events
Name Wilfred L. Von der Ahe, Supermarket Co-Founder
Gender Male
Birth[1] 9 May 1910 Los Angeles County, California
Death[1] 20 Nov 1998 Studio City, Los Angeles County, California
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About Wilfred Von der Ahe

Wilfred L. Von der Ahe was born 9 May 1910 in Los Angeles County, California, son of Charles Theodore Von der Ahe (1882-1973) and his wife Linda Augusta Luer (1887-1973). Wilfred's father pioneered a system of "cash and carry" stores (as opposed to charge and deliver) in Los Angeles and also pioneered the combination store concept, through his idea of leasing open storefronts to produce vendors and butchers, innovation which would eventually lead to the development of the first supermarket in California. His father's business grew quickly, and he had expanded to 87 stores by 1928, but he sold the business to McMarr Stores in 1929, in anticipation of the stock market crash, and retired from the business.

A few years later, Wilfred and his brother Theodore convinced their father provide financial backing, and the Von der Ahes opened the Vons Grocery Company in 1932. In 1948, Vons opened a pioneering store which offered self-service, pre-packaged produce, meat, and deli items, which has been called by some the first supermarket and established Vons and the Von der Ahes as leaders in the industry.
Many features of supermarkets today, such as volume buying, the big store, the open refrigerated case, centralized meat-cutting, and the cent-off food coupon stem from the early days of competition between Vons and Ralphs. By 1958, Vons was the third-largest grocery chain in greater Los Angeles. When the company went public, Vons had annual sales of $100 million and 28 stores. In 1960 it acquired the sixth-largest competitor Shopping Bag Food Stores, a merger that was challenged by the Federal Trade Commission on antitrust grounds. In 1966 the United States Supreme Court ruled against Vons in United States v. Von's Grocery Co. (384 U.S. 270), forcing a re-divestiture of the stores. The Von der Ahe family sold the chain to Household Finance Corporation in 1969. In 1970, Vons had 128 stores, making it the 2nd largest supermarket chain in southern California behind Safeway. By the end of 2011, Vons had 325 stores across Southern California and Nevada.

Wilfred L. Von der Ahe passed away on 20 November 1998 in Studio City, Los Angeles County, California. His family's innovation and contributions to the supermarket industry in Southern California created a company that today still succeeds in the tough retail environment and will leave a legacy that the family will always look back with pride.

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References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Family tree maker. (MyFamily.com, Inc., c2003).

    Wilfred L. VonderAhe (son of Charles T VonderAhe and Linda Luer)4149 was born 09 May 1910 in Los Angeles, CA4149, and died 20 Nov 1998 in Studio City, Los Angeles, CA, USA4149. He married Mary Jane.

    http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/l/o/g/Richard-Logan-2/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0590.html

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